


☆○o Supernatural ; a sanders sides AU☆○o

by teenagememer



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2019-12-26 22:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 25,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18291311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teenagememer/pseuds/teenagememer
Summary: From a young age, brothers Roman and Virgil Winchester are taught to fear the dark because who knows what the hell could be lurking?From their father's disappearance to the actual apocalypse, it will always be their job to save people and hunt things.  No matter what harm might befall upon them.**I also apparently can't spell 'Virgil" so my apologies about that**---This story is clearly heavily based off of the CW show Supernatural so any characters/ideas/plot lines belong to the show, I'm only bending them slightly or basing things off of them.





	1. Bitter Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> *MAJOR EDITING IN PROCESS!! CHARACTERS ARE BEING SWAPPED. PLEASE RE-READ OR JUST SWAP OUT LOGAN FOR ROMAN*
> 
> Hello! This is my first story on AO3, so please forgive any formatting issues! As stated before, this is heavily based off of the CW TV show Supernatural. 
> 
> A comment on my Instagram proposed this idea and I loved it so much, I decided to write it! So if you a part of the SPN Family or a Fander, or both, I hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Now, why don't we hunt down some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell? ;)
> 
> ~Madison

If you are looking for a story filled with happy moments and little to no misfortune as a way to escape the harsh ways of reality then, dear reader, I suggest you close this web page and look somewhere else. This narration is filled with nothing but suffering and anguish from the beginning, with slightly cheerful events sprinkled throughout. So, dear reader, if you are still captivated by this idea, continue ahead. But don't say I didn't warn you.

\----

**_November 2, 1996,_ **

The TV played softly in the background as the Winchester household settled down for the night. A young boy around four made his way downstairs, a high pitched laugh escaping his lips.

"Roman, don't make me come down there!" A voice called from the upper landing.

Though the command was firm, a smile was still heard. The young boy, Roman, giggled again "Come catch me, daddy!"

There was another laugh then footsteps down the stairs. Before he could try and hide, Roman was being swept off his feet and into the arms of his father. "Got you! Now let's go brush those chompers!"

Once Roman was tucked safely into bed, his mother opened his door and peeked in.

"Goodnight sweetie" She whispered, blowing a kiss.

"Goodnight mommy," Roman whispered back, reaching his hand out to catch the kiss.

As the door slowly closed, Roman sat up, "Mommy?" He called.

The door swung back open "Yes sweetheart?"

"I didn't get to kiss Virgil goodnight. Can I?"

His mother laughed, the sound like honey. Sweet and golden "Of course Ro, come on."

Swinging his feet over the edge of his bed, Roman dashed over to his mother and took her hand in his. She gently rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand.

Virgil, a baby of just 6 months, laid in his crib, not quite sleeping. When they reached the crib side, Roman was lifted up and smiled at Virgil.

"Goodnight Virge!" He said as he kissed his fingertips and gently touched them to Virgil's forehead.

"Mary, where did you put the-" Roman's father started before smiling at the scene in front of him

"Shhh, John. Ro wanted to say goodnight to Virgil." Roman turned away from the baby and wrapped his arms around his mother, resting his head on her shoulder. The smell of her vanilla perfume was welcoming and Roman's eyes fluttered.

"Let's go tuck you back in sweetheart," Mary said softly.

Both of his parents tucked him back in. "Goodnight Ro," John said as he took Mary's hand, shutting the door halfway as they walked out.

\--- Dear reader, it is still possible to exit this story and live believing that these boys and their parents lived peaceful and happy lives. If you wish to taint that image, continue to read forth. ---

The clock in the kitchen ticked as the hours went by. Everything was quiet and typical. But this night was anything but. As the clock hands hit midnight, it stopped. Without the constant ticking, the house quickly fell into an uneasy silence. Upstairs, Mary was unaware of this strange turn of events. A thump from the other room would have gone unnoticed as well if it hadn't been for the panicked cries of the baby.

"John," Mary grumbled, "It's your turn to check on him." There was no response. Sighing, Mary threw the covers off of her and made her way across the hall. She opened the door and saw John standing over the crib. "What's his problem, John?" She asked only to get shushed.

"Whatever," She mumbled, walking back to the bedroom. She would have gone right back to sleep if the sound of the TV downstairs hadn't caught her attention. Fully alert, she slowly walked down the stairs. Laying in his chair in front of the TV was John, fast asleep.

Cold terror crept up Mary's spine. "Virgil..." She said, racing up the stairs. "I'm coming baby!" She flung the door open, banging it against the wall. The figure standing over the crib turned to her. Everything about it was human, aside from the glowing yellow eyes.

"Leave him alone, you bitch," She growled, about to lunge forward. The creature laughed and with a flick of its hand, Mary was pushed back into the wall. She screamed as the wind was knocked out of her and she was slowly dragged up to the ceiling. The creature laughed before snapping its fingers and disappeared. Mary's heart was racing, but at least the creature was gone. As she struggled to get down, she took a deep breath. The bitter smell of burning paint filled her nose, and she knew her fate was sealed. "Take care of them, John." She sobbed as the ceiling went up in flames, engulfing her.

\----

Downstairs, the sound of Mary's bloodcurdling scream woke John. Getting up the stairs faster than he ever thought was possible, he saw the smoke coming from Virgil's room.

"Mary!" He yelled, dashing into the room. He quickly made his way to the fear-ridden baby and took him in his arms. Looking down at the crib, he noticed two drops of ruby red. Blood. He slowly looked up and words cannot describe the pure sadness and horror that filled his heart. His beloved Mary was on the ceiling, a fire roaring around her.

"Mary!!"

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Roman said, standing in the doorway, his eyes soon landing on the ceiling. "Daddy?"

Moving swiftly, John placed a crying Virgil in Roman's arms "Take your brother outside, and don't look back! Go!" He pushed his sons out of the room and Roman raced down the stairs, holding onto Virgil will all his might. Once outside in the front yard, he stopped. His young face was stained with tears and soot.

He looked up to Virgil's bedroom window and saw the endless flames. "Mom! Dad!" He screamed.

Suddenly, strong arms lifted both him and Virgil up, fleeing the scene just as the house fully surrendered to the fire. The police and firemen quickly arrived but they had no explanation on how the fire started.

Mary's remains were never found.

As he sat in an ambulance with his two scared, confused sons on his lap, John Winchester made a promise.

An oath.

He would hunt down and kill whatever evil son of a bitch took his Mary away from him.

And he would stop at nothing until it was sent straight to Hell where it belonged.


	2. Old Hallow's Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first story on AO3, so please forgive any formatting issues! As stated before, this is heavily based off of the CW TV show Supernatural.
> 
> A comment on my Instagram proposed this idea and I loved it so much, I decided to write it! So if you a part of the SPN Family or a Fander, or both, I hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Now, why don't we hunt down some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell? ;)
> 
> ~Madison

**_22 years later_ **

**_October 31, 2018_ **

\--

"Virgil, are you ready?"

Virgil popped his head out of the bathroom "Justin, you know I'm not a fan of Halloween." He said.

Justin smiled "Yeah, but you're a fan of me. Now go finish getting ready."

"Fine. You're lucky I love you so much." Virgil said, going back into the bathroom.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. Despite the fact he was smiling, it was easy to tell that his facial expression didn't match his true feelings. Halloween was the worst holiday. In just two days it will be the dreaded anniversary...

He shook the thought out of his mind. Justin was relying on him. He could enjoy Halloween just this once. He fixed his hair, draping his bangs over his forehead. His phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket

 

_Justin_ _♥_ _: Babe, you ready? I'm in the car_

_Virge: Yeah, I'm on my way down right now._  
  
\---

 

When they arrived at the party, Virgil kept close to Justin.

"I can't believe you convinced me to come here. I actually hate it." He muttered, the loud music shaking his brain, turning it to mush.

"Oh quit whining. We can leave in a couple of minutes. I just wanted to see Oliva." Justin took his hand "Hang in there buddy!"

Virgil sighed and let himself be dragged around the room. When he was younger, he would always dream of going to college parties.

But this was honestly shit.

Justin sat down at a table and Virgil took the seat next to him. Oliva arrived a couple of minutes after that. While his boyfriend talked to his friend, Virge scrolled through his phone.

 

_Bing!_

 

A notification for a text message came through. After opening it, he noticed the number wasn't in his contacts. Just some random person, who was probably drunk.

He was just about to delete it when he saw the three tying bubbles. Shrugging, Virgil waited for the text to go through.

Three words appeared on the screen.

 

_XXX-XXX-XXXX: Virgil? It's Roman._

 

All the color drained from his face. With shaking hands, he typed his reply.

 

_Virgil: Prove it._

He looked up as he waited for the next reply. Justin was deep into his conversation so he didn't notice Virgil's discontent.

 

_XXX-XXX-XXXX:_ _You had a pink caterpillar stuffed animal that you used to hide. Then you would proceed to cry until dad found it. Satisfied?_

 

Well, this was definitely Roman. But why would he reach out after two years or absolute silence?

"Hey...Can we get going?" Virgil asked, his voice trailing off. His boyfriend looked up from his conversation

"Yeah yeah, we can leave now. Oliva, I'll see you tomorrow in class. Come on Virgie let's get you home." Justin said, his eyes filled with concern.

As soon as they stepped foot in their dorm, Virgil made his way to their bedroom and went right to sleep, not even bothering to change into softer clothes.

\---

When he awoke the next morning, the right side of the bed was empty. He sighed. Justin must have already gone to class. Realizing he had slept in his clothes from last night, Virgil quickly hopped in the shower. When he was clean and dressed in new clothes, he went to the kitchen.

Laid out on the table was a note. 

 

_Virgil, I had an important meeting early this morning but I'll be back by noon so you're not alone before your lecture._

_Love you! - Justin_

 

He placed the note back on the table and made himself a cup of coffee, which was already hot because of his thoughtful boyfriend. He sat at the table, dreading what he knew he had to do. Gathering courage was never his strong suit but this must be important.

_Roman never reached out to him, so why now?_

Getting his phone from the bedroom and sitting back at the table, he constructed what he believed what was a worthy reply.

 

 _Virgil: Yeah, I'm satisfied. Whats up Roman? It's been almost 2 years and you've never tried to talk_   _to me. So why now?_

 

He placed the phone on the table and tried to calm his mind. Thoughts of all kinds overflowed his mind.

 

 _Roman: I would much rather prefer if we spoke in person. I am already on my way. I should be on_   _campus by 2:30. What's your dorm number?_

 

"He's already on his way?" Virgil muttered to himself "God damn, I don't have time for this." The clock above the stove read  _11:58,_  leaving him a few minutes before Justin got back and about an hour until his lecture. Ironically, this is the most important lecture of the semester. Virgil had already been stressing about this for the past month, and this was just the icing on the cake.

 

_Virgil: Your gonna be waiting a little bit. I have a lecture that goes from 2 - 3:15_

 

_Roman: As long as we can talk after, I have no issues with that._

 

Virgil cursed under his breath. He was secretly hoping that would've discouraged Roman from coming. Who is he kidding? His brother is one of the most persistent people he's ever met. But under the stress of the lecture and the fear of what Roman wanted to talk about, he felt almost happy. Or something closer to comfort. If he got to see Roman, maybe he could talk to him about Dad...maybe even convince him to stay for the anniversary. Spending it alone seemed to hurt more. Of course, Virgil had Justin, but he didn't need to know the details.

Like however since that day 22 years ago both brothers have been brought up like they were in the army. With the expectation of holidays and that was only bet case scenario.

It was best if that part of Virgil's life stayed hidden.

"Virge, I'm home!" Justin's voice rang through the dorm and Virgil dropped his rather depressing thoughts.

"Hey love, how was your meeting?" He asked, hugging his boyfriend.

"Oh my god! It was amazing! I'll make us some lunch and tell you all about it!" Justin said, his signature smile shining.

As he watched Justin practically skip into the kitchen, Virgil let the happiness fill him. He deserved to be happy.

Even if it wouldn't last.

For him, it never lasts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The formatting looks a little off to me, but i'm doing my best :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> ~Madison


	3. The Ghoul Bro is Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first story on AO3, so please forgive any formatting issues! As stated before, this is heavily based off of the CW TV show Supernatural.
> 
> A comment on my Instagram proposed this idea and I loved it so much, I decided to write it! So if you a part of the SPN Family or a Fander, or both, I hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Now, why don't we hunt down some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell? ;)
> 
> ~Madison

The familiar roar of the engine as the car raced down the highway put a smile on Roman's face.

This car was everything. His most prized possession. This is dad's car and ever since he's been allowed to drive it, he's never wanted to stop.

The Impala might have been over 52 years old, but she's remained in top condition. That could be from the fact that the Winchester's have babied the car as much as possible.

Which led to Roman giving it the name 'Baby'.

Before Virgil left, he insisted on putting a radio in the car to "modern it up," as he put it. So Roman begrudgingly installed the radio. While he was still a bit bitter about the whole thing, Dad never seemed to care.

As long as there was music playing and Virgil was happy, he was content.

That was before the whole incident happened.

Roman sighed and flipped on the radio.

_Gold jewelry shining so bright_  
_Strawberry champagne on ice_  
_Lucky for you, that's what I like, that's what I like_  
_Lucky for you, that's what I like, that's what I like_

The voice of some pop star filled the car and Roman groaned "This is what people actually listen to? No one has any taste anymore."

He shook his head and flipped the radio off. Keeping his eye on the road, he looked through his case of CD's and picked one of his favorites.

_I'm on the highway to hell_  
_On the highway to hell_  
_Highway to hell_  
_I'm on the highway to hell_

Tapping the steering wheel to the beat, Roman took his exit and glanced at his GPS. He had another hour and a half of driving. That was more than enough time to prepare himself for this meeting. He would have never been nervous to see Virgil but since he left them for school, it's been different. He could only imagine how all this was making his brother feel.

Roman took his normal course of action. He buried his emotions down and turned the music up. Belting out the lyrics helped. It's the method he's been using for years.

Ever since he decided to never reveal his true feelings. His weakness.

\----

"Hello class, today we have a jam-packed lecture that will be beneficial to you passing your final exams. And I'm sure you all know, passing the exam with a high grade could get you into the AP class..."

The voice of the professor echoed off the way of the lecture room. Sitting close to the front, Virgil had his note-taking supplies out, and his laptop. This lecture is the one-way ticket to his dream job.

Nothing will mess this up.

 

Halfway through the lecture and 7 pages of notes later, Virgil felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He slyly looked at the message and felt his heart stop.

_Roman: I'm here. If you don't answer, I will assume you're ignoring me and I'll just start looking for you._

Virgil bit the inside of his cheek. This cannot be happening.

"Does anyone want to take a shot at the answer? How about you, Mr. Winchester?" The professor said, snapping Virgil back to reality.

"Uh sure...It's in section 4 of chapter 8?" He said, more of a question than an answer.

There was a pause.

"Correct!"

Virgil slid his phone back into his pocket and let out a sigh of relief. He better focus. Roman can function on his own.

\--

15 minutes before the end of the lecture, movement outside of the door caught his attention. Glancing out the door window, he sucked in a breath.

Roman was standing across the hall, his face serious. Some boy he'd never seen before walked past and Roman shot a smirk his way.

Virgil shook his head.

And the flirting begins.

The boy handed Roman a piece of paper and Virgil assumed it was a phone number.

"And that wrap's up today's lecture! Thank you for coming and I wish you all good luck on your exams next week!"

Everyone began packing up their things and Virgil was already outside the door before any else was even halfway across the room. He pushed the door open and his eyes caught Roman's.

"Hey, Virgie!" Roman called, smirking.

"Oh my god, it's _Virgil_." Virgil shot back. He began walking towards the door. Roman followed close behind.

"Do not walk away from me! I drove all his way-"

"You drove all this way because you wanted to. I didn't text you or invite you." Virgil said, not even turning to face his brother.

Roman gripped his shoulder, holding him back. He spun him so they were face to face

"Virgil, I contacted you for an important reason. I wouldn't have if I didn't have to." Roman scolded.

Virgil looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact.

"Now, where can we talk in private?" Roman asked as he let go of Virgil's shoulder, glaring at the students who were walking by.

"At my dorm." Virgil muttered, "Follow me."

\---

Virgil turned the key and open the door. The dorm was silent aside from the hum of the refrigerator.

"This is where you live?" Roman asked "Its....average."

"At least I'm not living out of the car," Virgil said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Virgil threw he stuff onto the couch and went to grab a drink.

"Do you want anything to drink, Ro?"

Roman thought for a second "Yeah, a beer please."

"Roman...it's 3:30 in the afternoon."

"Yeah, I know."

Virgil sighed "I swear you're an alcoholic."

Roman just shrugged.

After they both had their drinks, Roman cleared his throat.

"So, I should get to why I'm here."

"That would be nice," Virgil said, looking down at his cup.

"Well...Dad's on a hunting trip."

Virgil's eyebrows creased "So? That's not anything weird."

Roman's face twisted into a grimace "He hasn't been home in a few days."

A heavy silence fell like a fog.

"Do you think...he's in trouble?" Virgil finally said, breaking the quite.

"He left me a voice mail two weeks ago. That's the last that i've heard. He said he's in Jericho, California."

"Why did you come to me?" Virgil asked, "That part still makes no sense."

"Wow Virgie, you really must be stupid." Roman sighed "I need your help to find dad. You are the only other person I trust."

Virgil got to his feet "No no no. I can't just leave! I have classes, friends. I have a life here!"

"You're saying....this school, those people you probably don't even really know, are more important than  _Dad_?" Roman took a long sip of beer. "Maybe it was a mistake coming here."

"Roman, wait-"

The sound of keys jingling filled the room. The dorm door opened and a slightly shocked Justin was standing there, arms full of books.

"V, who's that?" He asked, walking in. He put his book on the couch next to Virgil's bag and took off his coat.

"Justin, this is Roman, my older brother. Roman, this is Justin, my boyfriend."

"Oh hello, Roman! I've heard so much about you!" Justin exclaimed, grinning.

Roman gave him a small smile "Damn Virgie, how'd you manage to snag such a cute one? How much is he paying you, Justin?"

Justin giggled "He's not paying me. But between me and you, I'm really just here for Virgie's amazing hair secrets."

Virgil rolled his eyes, despite the smile on his face.

"Well, sweetie, my brother and I are talking important family business. Could you please give us some time alone?"

"Roman," Virgil warned. This was Justin's dorm too, Roman doesn't have the right to just kick him out.

But Justin just smiled "Sure! I have some phone calls to make anyway." He gave Virgil a kiss on the cheek and went into the bedroom.

"He's cute."

"I  _know_ Roman, he's my boyfriend."

Roman finished his beer "I won't force you to leave, but I want you to know...i could really use the help." He said, gathering his jacket.

Virgil laughed, "You're the stupid one Roman."

Roman turned back to him "What do you mean?"

Virgil smirked "I'm coming with you, you dipshit. Do you really think I'd just let you run off to who knows where looking for dad? Alone? Nah. I just have to be back by Tuesday."

Roman smiled "You'll be back by then Virgie. Go pack your things, I'm going to pull Baby up front." He walked out, closing the door behind him.

Virgil quietly walked into the bedroom, where Justin was laying on the bed.

"I've got some bad news..." Virgil muttered, sitting down next to him.

Justin sat up "What is it?"

"My dad's on a hunting trip and Roman is worried about him because he was supposed to be back by now. We're gonna go look for him. I'll only be gone a few days."

He braced for an angry outburst, but Justin just smiled.

"Family comes first. As long as you'll be safe, I'm fine with it. Now let's back your bag." Justin jumped up and opened the closet, looking to an empty suitcase.

Virgil bit his lip.

If only Justin knew he'd be anything but safe.

In fact, this is one of the most dangerous things he could ever do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> ~Madison


	4. The Wide Open Road...And Fake ID's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *MAJOR EDITING IN PROCESS!! CHARACTERS ARE BEING SWAPPED. PLEASE RE-READ OR JUST SWAP OUT LOGAN FOR ROMAN*
> 
> Hello! This is my first story on AO3, so please forgive any formatting issues! As stated before, this is heavily based off of the CW TV show Supernatural.
> 
> A comment on my Instagram proposed this idea and I loved it so much, I decided to write it! So if you a part of the SPN Family or a Fander, or both, I hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Now, why don't we hunt down some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell? ;)
> 
> ~Madison

The car roared to life. Virgil took a deep breath, enjoying the familiar scent of Baby.

This car had acted like home for so much of his life. Sure, dad would make sure to get them motel rooms, but those were always different.

The Impala was always there, always the same.

"Missed her, Virgie?" Roman teased as he watched Virgil trace his fingers over the inside door handle.

Virgil laughed "Yeah. More than I thought I would."

"More than me?" Roman joked. Despite the joking tone, Virgil knew his brother wasn't kidding. Throughout their whole lives, there was no one the brothers were closer to than each other.

"Nah. Even if you're annoying as hell." Virgil replied, flipping the radio on.

_I'm loving the pain_  
_I never wanna live without it_  
_So why do I try?_  
_You drive me insane_  
_Now we're screaming just to see who's louder_  
_So why do I try?_  
_You got me like na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na na, oh, yeah_

"Ugh, gross!" Virgil exclaimed as he went to change the station.

Roman slapped his hand "Don't you dare touch it." He growled as he turned up the music, bopping his head as he did.

Virgil raised his eyebrows "Dude, seriously? I thought you despised modern music?" He said as Roman sang along to the song

Roman stopped singing for a moment "Ariana Grande is queen. Facts are facts." 

"Sure, whatever you say," Virgil said, glancing out of the window as they got onto the highway. "I'm gonna try and sleep a bit, then you can sleep."

Roman laughed "I'm not letting you drive the car."

"Wait, are you kidding me?" Virgil said, turning the music down.

Roman whined and shook his head no "Last time you drove, you crashed the bumper! Do you know how long it took me to find a spare one?"

"Ro, I was 17!" Virgil protested.

"No. That's that."

"Oh my god, who put you in charge?" Virgil grumbled.

"Well, let me think. God, since I was born first." Roman fired back.

"Whatever. Wake me up when you decide to stop." Virgil said as he extended his legs and slumped back in the seat.

"Alright. Can I turn the music up a little bit?" Roman asked, already slowly turning the music up.

"Sure Ro. I mean, you're in charge."

"Don't have a tone with me, young man!" Roman teased

"Just let me sleep, please," Virgil whined

Roman laughed "Ok, ok. Night Virgie."

\---

"Hey, V, wake up!" Roman said, shaking Virgil awake roughly. 

"W-what? What's wrong?" Virgil said, jolting forward.

"Nothing, we're stopping for tonight. I already got us a room and there's a diner across the street." 

"What time is it?" Virgil asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Roman checked his phone "It's 11:45."

"Great." Virgil got out of the car, grabbed his bag from the back seat and walked into the motel room.

The fake smell of air freshener flowers stung his nose as he threw his bag on the floor. This wasn't the cleanest room he'd ever been in, but it certainly wasn't the worst. Not like the one motel back in Texas. He had never seen so many rats in one place.

Virgil collapsed onto the right side of one bed and went right back to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be more driving and most likely pretending to be federal agents. Or something close to that.

Roman walked back into the motel room to find Virgil fast asleep. He ate the burger he had gotten and then decided to his the hay himself. He didn't bother changing as he laid down on the motel bed. He looked up at the ceiling then looked over at Virgil.

Roman missed him.

More than he cared to admit.

Hunting with Dad was nice, but being with Virge was different. They were more on the same wavelength than him and dad.

"Virgil," He said out loud, checking to make sure his brother was asleep. When there was no answer, Roman scooted over, now lying on the left side of his bed, Now both him and Virgil were sleeping the way they used to.

One on the left and one on the right. Close enough to talk without waking up dad but far enough way to give each other space. He was too old for these childish gestures, but it brought him the comfort he hadn't had in a while. Besides tomorrow or today if it was midnight, was the anniversary of mom's death. He deserved some comfort.

Even if it never lasted. 

Just the thought of mom made Roman feel sadness so deep it almost burned. He let himself feel melancholy before he closed his eyes and did his best to sleep.

\---

Roman was awake before the sun had even risen. He packed up the car while Virgil slept. After everything was packed up, he shook Virgil awake.

"Come on, time to get back on the road," Roman said, ignoring Virgil's grumbling.

Once they were on the highway, Virgil's phone rang.

"Hello? Hey Justin! Yeah, we're almost there...yup...mhmm. I'll call you next time we stop. Love you."

"What did he want?" Roman asked.

"He was just checking up on me, I must have missed his call last night," Virgil answered, looking out the window.

"Oh, there are fake ID's in the glove box, can you sign names on them please?" Roman said, flipping on the radio.

"Really? We're still doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Fake ID's."

"Oh, Virgil you're right! We should just walk right up to the police and ask if anything strange has been happening. While we're at it, why don't we tell them we're hunting fucking monsters? I'm sure that would go down well."

Both boys didn't say anything and let the music do the talking.

"It's illegal," Virgil said at last.

"Since when you do care?"

"Since I've been going o law school. Roman, do you know how long you can go to jail for fake identification?" Virgil said, his voice getting louder.

"Do you know how many people will die if we don't do our job?" Roman shot back. "I'm getting really fed up with you. Maybe it was a mistake to ask for your help."

"Yeah, maybe it was," Virgil muttered.

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

\--

"No sign of a struggle, no fingerprints other than the victim's, no other clues. We have a hard, cold case." An officer said to his partner.

This morning, an abandoned car had been found on Centennial Highway bridge with blood splattered on the windshield.

"It's my daughter's boyfriend's car. This is a personal case. Do whatever needs to be done." The sheriff told the two officers.

One of them sighed "Sweep the river. See what you can find." He told the rest of the team, and they went straight to work.

"Hello officers, I'm Agent Grande and this is my partner, Agent Holland." Roman said, pointing to himself then Virgil "We're here to investigate the recent string of strange disappearances."

The sheriff hesitated "You boys look a little young to be agents."

Roman laughed "Thank you, sir. Any leads so far?"

The sheriff looked like he wanted to continue to questions them, but he shook his head "No, not yet. All these cases so far have been dead ends. No signs of struggles, no outside fingerprints, and the list goes on."

While Roman kept asking the police questions, Virgil was racking his brain for any information on what it could be. Maybe a ghost? That seemed possible.

Whatever it is, it certainly wasn't human.

And it's clearly out for blood. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> ~Madison


	5. Death of a Player

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a flashback. With that being said, you may continue reading! 
> 
> Also!! Major editing is still in process, so sorry for the confusion! :)

**_The night before_ **

 

"Amy, I can't come over. I've got work tomorrow." Troy said as his car sped down the road.

 

_"Come on Troy, I'm sure they won't mind if you're a little late..."_

  
He laughed before something white on the side of the road caught his attention.

  
"H-hey Amy, I'll call you back." He said as he hung up, giving her no time to protest. As he got closer to the white figure, it slowly started to make sense.

  
It was a girl in a fancy white dress, her face serious.

  
He pulled over and rolled down the passenger window "Hello Miss, do you need a ride?"

  
"I want to go home."

  
He smiled "I can take you home if you'd like."

  
She nodded and he grinned. Whoever she is, she's hot. And he's more than happy to help out a hot hitchhiker.

  
Maybe he'll even just lucky.

  
She sat down and he took off. He could feel her eyes on him the whole time. Despite something telling him this was a bad idea, he kept driving.

  
"So where's your house?"

  
She pointed straight ahead, so he kept driving.

Glancing over every once in a while, he could see that the front of her dress dipped down too low to be considered a V-neck.

  
It was more like a Y-neck. If that was even a thing.  
  


Looking back at the road, Troy saw a turnoff that kinda looked like a driveway.

  
"Home." The girl whispered so he turned the wheel and drove up the long winding driveway.

  
At the end, an old house overrun with vines stood. What a grim place.

  
"This can't be your house." He said, laughing. His amusement faded quickly because when he looked back the passenger seat, the girl was gone.

  
Vanished.

  
He hadn't even heard the door open. As panic started to settle, he stepped out of the car and walked up to the front door. The glass was broken and the door itself was starting to rot away.

 

"Hello?" He called out, grabbing the doorknob.

  
He pushed the door open and felt something fly right by his head. Screaming, he scrambled back to his car and turned the key as hard as he could. The car roared to life and he raced away from the creepy house as fast as the car would allow.  As he neared the bridge, he tried to catch his breath.

He was almost calm when he just happened to look in the rearview mirror.

 

In the back seat sat the girl.

 

"I can never go home."

  
Troy's face went so white, it was almost see through.

  
A bloodcurdling scream slipped out of Troy's lips as the girl moved closer.

  
The car rocked back and forth and a splash of red painted the windshield.

  
Silence took over the night once again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! 
> 
> ~Madison


	6. Stuffy Suits, Sad Memories, the Usual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains another flashback! However, the whole flashback will be in italics this time :)

"What's our next move, genius?" Virgil asked as he got into the Impala. He looked out the window only to see most of the policemen glaring at him.

  
They always had done a great job of being subtle.

  
"Why'd you say that with so much sarcasm?" Roman asked, turning the key. Of course, he didn't catch the dirty looks they were getting.

  
"Hmm I don't know, maybe because pretending to be federal agents was kind of stupid? We look like babies next to real agents!"

  
"Maybe we were smart and skipped a few years of school."

  
"Me, maybe. You? Not so much." Virgil muttered, fixing his tie. One thing he always hated about pretending to be FBI agents was the stuffy suits.

  
"Sarcasm aside, I think we should check into a motel first and then go look for the kid's girlfriend. Maybe she knows something." Roman said, driving away from the crime scene.

  
"Roman?" Virgil said gently. He's the only person he knows who can go from being a bitch to being sweet in under 5 minutes.

  
"Yeah?"

  
"Do you think Dad is okay? I mean, we haven't heard from him a while and-"

  
"Virgil, he's okay, I know he's ok." Roman glanced over to look at him "We're gonna find him and you'll be able to go back to your sweet little life."

  
A small hush fell over the car. The sound of Virgil's unsteady breathing was almost drowned out by the sound of the car, but Roman still heard it.

  
A small memoy filled his head.

  
_A small Virgil, floppy hair and everything, was sitting on the edge of a motel bed, crying. In front of him stood Dad, his face twisted his anger. The only light was coming from a dim lightblub in the lamp across the room._

  
_Roman had just gotton back from grabbing a soda from the vending machine outside their room. He pushed open the door and when he saw the scene before him, slammed it closed. It was past midnight, so the noise problaby woke the people in the next room, but that was far from Roman's mind._

  
_"Why is he crying?" Roman demanded, storming across the room._

  
_"Roman...don't." Virgil whispered, but his voice was lost._

  
_"Don't yell at me, boy. This isn't your place." John growled back to his eldest son._

 

_Roman's jaw clenched "Why. Is. He. Crying?"_

  
_John laughed, but it was far from being humorous "He must have been having a nightmare. Woke me up by climbing into my bed, asking if it was possible that a monster could get him. So I told him the truth."_

  
_A chocked sob ecapsed Virigl's lips but he quickly clasped his hands over his mouth._

  
_Roman swiflty moved to his side, taking his brother into his arms._

  
_John stared daggers at him but Roman couldn't care less "After that, he raced to the bathroom, sobbing. I gave him a few mitunes before I went in and brought him out to the bed. I said no son of mine will a coward."_

  
_Roman hugged Virgil closer as he felt the anger bubble within him. He knew Dad was only saying all this to get a reaction out of him._

  
_But the way Virgil was reacting to this proved it was the truth._

  
_"Virgil, why don't you go blow your nose and brush your teeth again?" Roman whispered. Virgil nodded and race into the bathroom, locking the door behind him._

  
_That same, odd feeling began to settle in. His chest began to burn and all his thoughts were consumed by panic._

  
_The yelling from outside the door wasn't helping._

  
_Coward._

  
_That one word packed a punch._

  
_Dad wasn't a coward. Roman wasn't a coward._

  
_Virgil let out another sob as he laid down on the cold tile floor. He pulled his legs into his chest and embaced the chill._

  
_Outside the bathroom, Roman's gaze never left their fathers. "Don't you have a case? Why don't you go give it your undivided attetion? Or you could stay here and bully your 8 year old son." He said, his eyes dark._

  
_John went to the dresser next to the bed and yanked out on of the drawers. He pulled out a wad of cash and shoved it into Roman's hands._

  
_"That's 250 bucks. Make it last until I get back." He said, grabbing the duffle bag that sat at the foot of his bed._

  
_As John walked out the door, he turned back to Roman, his eyes glossly "Tell him I'm sorry. And Roman, don't leave him alone."_

  
_The door was closed softly and Roman rushed to the bathroom door._

_"Virgil?"_

  
_No answer._

_Roman reached up to the top of the doorframe and grabbed the key. He unlocked the door and saw Virgil curled up on the floor._

  
_He dropped to his knees and pulled his baby brother into his arms "Oh Virgil..."_

  
_"R-Roman, why am I such a coward?"_

  
_A sad smile crossed Roman's face "You're not. Your the bravest one here. Trust me."_

  
_Minuets pasted and once Virigl calmed down, Roman carried Virgil to bed._

  
_"Goodnight Virgil." Roman whispered, giving him a smile._

  
_"Goodnight Roman. I love you." Virgil whsipered back._

  
_"Love you too, Virgie."_

  
_"Oh Roman...?" Virgil said, catching Roman's gaze._

  
_"Yes?"_

  
_"Never leave me."_

  
_Roman chuckled "I won't. As long as you never leave me._

  
_"Virgil giggling slightly "I could never."_

  
\------  
"Roman, are you okay?" Virgil asked.

  
"Yeah, why?"

   
"Your eyes glossed over all of a sudden. That's not exactly what you want from your driver."

  
Roman chuckled "I'm good. Just thought of something." 

  
"Is it because of me, or something? I'm in no rush to get back to my 'sweet little life'. I really want to help you find him."

  
"Virgil I know. As I said, I'm good. Promise."

  
Virgil didn't look convinced but he dropped the subject and they continued driving towards the nearest motel.

  
They signed in then unpacked what they needed from Baby and went to find their room.  


Once everything was unpacked and the room was locked up, they quickly changed into more casual clothes 

"To blend in better," As Roman put it. 

The boys then piled back into the car and drove downtown to find the boy's girlfriend.

"Hey, those two girls over there are hanging up missing person posters, that's a pretty good lead," Virgil said.

"It's our only lead," Roman replied, parking the car on one of the street corners. 

"Hello, are you Amy?" Virgil asked, walking up to the girls.

The shorter one nodded "Yeah, and who are you?"

Damn, Virgil had no excuse ready. These girls were about to catch them in a lie and they were going to get arrested and then they'd never be able to find Dad-

"We're Troy's uncles, we heard he went missing and we came down here to help look," Roman said.

Virgil nodded, hoping his previous panic wasn't too obvious.

The short girl, Amy, studied them "He never mentioned you two."

Roman shrugged "We live up in Nevada so we hardly get to see him. I think that last time we were down here, Troy was just a toddler."

Virgil nodded "Yeah, it's been a while. We're super worried about him and we just wanted to know if you knew anything we don't about his disappearance."

Amy and her friend shared a look.

"If you buy us lunch, we'll tell you everything we know," Her friend said. 

Roman smiled "Lunch is on the house."

As they started walking towards the local diner, Virgil hoped this wasn't a waste of time. These girls could just be coning them for some free food.

Or maybe, just maybe, they knew something the police didn't.

Maybe Troy told them something before whatever it was got to him.

As Roman held the door to the diner open, Virgil crossed his fingers.

This better be worth it.


	7. A Jolly Good Time, Indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 7

"That's the last thing I remember," Amy said as she fiddled with the straw in her glass of water.

  
"Let me get this straight, you were on the phone with him and then he just, hung up?" Virigl asked.

  
This really was a bust.

  
"Yeah...but...there is this story." Amy started before looking at her friend.

  
The other girl sighed "Fine. There's this story of a ghost who haunted the highway as a hitchhiker. It says that anyone who picks her up is doomed to die. That's what we think happened."

  
Virgil looked at Roman, who looked slightly surprised. Maybe there was something here after all.

  
"Is that all you girls know about this?" Roman said, ignoring the food that a waitress was setting on the table.

  
Amy nodded "Yes. I wish people would believe us, I mean, they have on other clues! This makes the most amount of sense!"

  
Virgil gave her a sad smile "I think you girls should go home and rest. The police won't stop their search and we're about to go and look too. Don't put yourselves in unnecessary danger."

 

"But the posters-"

  
"Amy, I'll hang the rest of them. You haven't slept all night, you really should go home," Her friend said. She smiled at Roman, "Thank you for lunch, I'll make sure she gets home." She added.

  
Both boys nodded and Roman dropped the money on the table before following Virgil out of the diner.

  
"Alright, so we've got an angry spirt on our hands?" Roman said once they were seated in the car.

  
"Seems so, but how could a simple ghost outsmart dad?" Virgil asked.

  
"I don't know. We'll go investigate tonight once the police clear out of there." Roman said, driving back to the motel.

  
Both boys decided to grab a couple of extra hours of sleep and set alarms for 11 pm.

  
\---

  
The loud ringing of the alarm woke the brothers and they groggily made their way out to the car.

  
"Sleeping was a bad idea, I feel more tired than before," Roman said as he yawned.

  
"Dude, you're driving. I really don't like hearing how tired you are when my life is in your hands." Virigl said, shaking his head.

  
The car pulled onto the deserted bridge.

  
The chilly wind was blowing strongly causing the water below them to ripple violently.

  
"What exactly are we looking for?" Virigl asked, pulling his jacket closed as they walked further down the bridge.

  
Roman shrugged "The classic signs. Maybe some EFM readings? I honestly don't know...Dad's usually the one who looks for this stuff..."

  
"Roman, what are we doing?" Virigl asked, stopping.

  
Roman raised an eyebrow "Virge, we went over this. We're trying to find signs of this ghost."

  
Virigl sighed "No, I mean...what are we doing still hunting? Like...do you think mom would have wanted this for us?"

  
"What are you getting at?" Roman asked, already knowing what point Virgil was trying to make. "Spit it out," Roman added

  
"Just think about it, we're looking for dad, great! But when we find him, do you really think he's gonna want to see me? He's not! Don't you remember? Once he found out I wanted to go to school he _kicked me out_. He told me if I left to never come back!"

  
Another uneasy silence surrounded them. It seemed they couldn't escape both the agreements and the silence they brought.

  
Virgil adjusted the sleeves of his jacket before looking Roman in the eye "Mom is gone. And no matter how hard dad tries, hunting the thing that killed her isn't going to bring her back. Nothing ever will!"

  
Roman clenched his jaw and lunged at Virgil, ramming him into one of the bridge beams.

  
"Don't you _ever_ disrespect mom like that," Roman snarled "And Dad? He's just trying to _cope_."

  
He gave Virgil another shove before letting go of his jacket and stepping away.

  
Virgil inched away from the pole, eyeing Roman with wide eyes but he didn't say anything.

  
Roman closed his eyes for a few seconds "Virgil-" He started before getting cut off by the sound of a car engine.

  
Both boys spun to face the car, which was very clear started.

  
"Uh Ro...someone's in the car," Virgil muttered, taking in a shaky breath.

  
Roma shook his head and pulled the car keys out of his pocket.

  
Oh shit.

  
The car began to roll forward, quickly gaining speed. Virgil's feet were stuck to the ground as he watched the car pick up speed.

  
"Run...Run!" Roman yelled as gripping Virgil's shoulder, pulling him forward. That was the push Virigl needed and they both scrambled away from the car as fast as their legs would allow.

  
As they ran, they knew eventually there would be no more bridge and they would get run over. Sharing a glance, they both ran towards the guard rails and flung themselves into the water below.

  
Roman pulled himself onto the riverbank, the cold water almost burning his skin. Not to mention the mud that coated him.

  
"Virgil?" He called out, wiping the mud from his eyes. When there was no answer, he jumped to his feet. He could not let the last interaction he had with his brother be him flinging him into a metal pole.

  
"Virigl!" He yelled, this time more desperately.

  
"I'm here," Virigl called. He was laying on the riverbank a little ways away.

  
"This was wonderful. I'm glad we decided to come out here." He said as he got to his feet.

  
Roman let out a small chuckle "Yeah, what a jolly good time."

  
The only thing they could think about as they walked back to the now still car was how good a nice, boiling hot shower would feel.

  
\---

  
"Hey...about earlier," Roman said after both of them had showered and changed.

  
Virigl looked up from his phone "Yeah?"

  
"I'm sorry. I kind of overreacted,"

  
"Kind of?"

  
"Ok, ok. I overreacted a lot. I'm sorry."

  
Virgil looked at his brother "It's all good. I know you have an issue with containing your anger."

  
Roman huffed "I do not!"

  
Virgil laughed "Sure, totally not."

  
Roman smiled "Really though, I'm sorry."

  
"Dude, it's fine! Do you like, want me to hug you or something to prove it?"

  
"Nah, that's too chick-flick," Roman said, shaking his head.

  
"Alright, no chick-flick moments. Jerk." Virigl smirked.

  
"Bitch," Roman replied "Anyway, I'm gonna go grab a soda, want anything?

  
Virigl shook his head "Nope, I'm good. I don't really need all that sugar."

  
Roman shrugged "Suit yourself."

  
As he wandered around the motel looking for a vending machine, he passed a man who he suspected was the innkeeper.

  
"Excuse me, sir, where's the vending machine?" Roman asked.

  
The man pointed in the opposite direction "Right down there, next to the room that has salt under the door.

  
"Salt?" Roman asked, his mind reeling. There's no way this was a lead.

  
Absolutely no way.

  
"Yeah. Some freak came by, paid for 3 weeks and put the 'do not disturb' sign on his door. I saw him leave once, and the whole room was trashed." The man looked around and lowed his voice "I even think he had some guns in there, but who knows."

  
Roman watched the man walk away and suddenly, he didn't want a soda anymore. He rushed down the hall, looking at the bottom of each door for salt.

  
Finally, he found the room, right next to the vending machine as the man said.

  
Doing a quick scan, he made sure the coast was clear and began to pick the lock.

  
"Roman, what the hell?"

  
Roman jumped and glared at Virgil, who was standing behind him.

  
"Dad," Roman whispered as he went back to picking the lock.

  
"What? How? When?" Virigl said, borderline rambling.

  
"I'll explain later, just let me do this!" Roman hissed.

  
He finally got the door open and carefully stepped over the salt line with Virgil close behind.

  
He flicked the light on and all the doubts he might have had vanished.

  
This was definitely Dad's room.

  
All the windows were lined with salt and a devil's trap made of tape was on the floor right in front of the door.

  
"So he was here," Virigl muttered.

  
Roman filled him in on what the innkeeper had said.

  
"Ok, but why would he just vanish?" Virgil asked, looking up to one of the walls. Newspaper articles were tapped all over it, along with handwritten notes.

  
Dad was definitely trying his hardest to crack this case.

  
"I have no idea," Roman said as he picked up a half eaten burger that was sitting on the nightstand "This is just a simple spirt. Dad had tackled so many of these cases...I don't understand."

  
As Virgil scanned the notes, an idea popped into his head.

  
What if Dad wasn't trying to _solve_ the case?

  
"Roman...What if Dad didn't want to kill this ghost?"

  
"Virigl. Are we talking about the same person?"

  
"Yes, but, hear me out. Look at all these notes. It's too well done. Dad _never_ leaves stuff like this, he writes everything in his journal. So maybe, just maybe all his stuff was left on purpose."

  
Roman sat on the bed and huffed "I don't follow."

  
"My god Roman! Are you really that dumb? I'm _saying_ that what if dad left all this stuff as clues? What if he wanted _us_ to solve the case and take out the ghost?" Virgil exclaimed.

  
Roman thought for a moment.

  
"It's possible," He muttered.

  
"Well, just in case we get caught in here, I'm going to take as many pictures as I can," Virgil said, taking his phone out of his pocket and snapping away.

  
"I'll keep watch then, or something like that," Roman muttered as he peeked out of the window.

  
After around 10 minutes, Virgil put his phone away.

  
"I pretty much got pictures of everything and I found an interesting article about this woman-" Virgil started.

  
"Shh!" Roman ordered, crouching down.

  
Virigl mouthed 'what?' and Roman mouthed back 'police.'

  
"I'll go distract them, you go look more into this woman. I'll text you where I am later, I mean if I don't get arrested."

  
With that, Roman left Virgil alone in the dark, stale motel room and walked outside.

  
"Hello officers, what's the problem?" He asked, giving them a smile.

  
"You are. We ran you and your partner's badges and it seems you aren't actual agents. We're going to have to take you down for questioning."

  
Roman kept his smile "Alright, whatever you think is necessary."

  
In a flash, Roman had his hands cuffed behind his back and was being pushed into the back of the cop car.

  
This was not good.

  
Roman concealed his panic well, remembering all the training Dad had made him do in case he was ever caught alone with Virgil.

  
Oh man, Virigl.

  
As the car pulled out of the motel parking lot, he hoped that Virgil had snuck out and was looking into whatever he had found in Dad's clue.

  
Because Roman had made a rookie mistake and now they both might have to pay.


	8. A Compelling Interview & Handcuff Marks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 8

"Hello sir, I'm doing a research paper on the local area and I wanted to include something about your late wife. May I ask a few questions?" Virigl asked the short, stocky man in front of him.

  
When the police arrived at the motel and took Roman, Virigl gathered what he could from both Dad's room and theirs and left as fast as the Impala would let him.  Before the police interrupted him, Virigl was about to tell Roman about an old news article he had found pinned under a post-it that had 'Important!!' scribbled on it.

  
It was about a woman named Darlene Reed who, after she found out her husband was cheating, drowned her children in their bathtub before taking her own life just hours later.  Dad had left another clue next to this article. A post-it note with just two words.

  
_La Llorona_

  
All it took was a quick google search to find out what that meant. It translated to 'Weeping Woman', the exact type of spirit they were looking for.

  
The man he was talking to was William Reed, Darlene's husband.

  
"Sure," The man grumbled, eyeing Virigl closely "An older man came by not too long ago asking about my Darlene too. Are you working together?"

  
Virigl smiled and gave a slight nod "Yes, he's my partner. I'm just doing a fact check."

  
The man nodded "Alright. Be quick, I don't have all day."

  
"Of course. Did your wife ever show any signs of violence towards the children?"

  
William shook his head "Never. She was the kindest mother and the sweetest woman."

  
"Ok. Did she ever mention she felt depressed? Or even suicidal?"

  
"Again, never. She was very happy and never mentioned anything like that."

  
"Alright. Did you cheat on your wife?"

  
A tense silence fell quickly.

  
Anger flashed in William's eyes "You have no right to ask that."

  
Virigl gave him a sad smile "I do, actually. It is listed in the news article that an affair was suspected, making it public information."

  
William glared daggers at him "Our marriage wasn't perfect. No one's is. And yeah, maybe I made a few mistakes. But Darlene was the love of my life, our children were the love of my life. They both got taken away from me," Tears began to flow down his face.

  
"This meeting is over. Have a great time writing your report or some shit." William walked back into his house and slammed the door.

  
Virigl stood there, just looking at the ramshackle trailer William was living in. He felt sorry for the man, losing his wife and children in one day.

  
But at least now he and Roman can put Darlene and maybe even the children's souls at rest.

  
Well, if Roman hadn't gotten arrested.

  
Virigl climbed back into the car and as he drove away, a plan began to form in his head.

  
A plan to get Roman out of custody and kill this son of a bitch spirit.

  
\----

  
"I won't ask you again, where did you get these cards?" The officer asked.

  
Roman sighed and slumped in his chair, hand handcuffed to the table "I told you. The bureau made them for us."

  
The officer slammed his hands on the table, probably hoping to scare Roman.

  
All it did was hurt his ears.

  
"Son, drop the act. I know you aren't an agent, and I know your name isn't Harvey Grande."

  
"It's not my fault not everyone has a name like," Roman looked at the officer's badge "George."

  
Another officer walked in, carrying a box. He placed it on the table and left the room.

  
George smirked and Roman started to feel uneasy.

  
The feeling flashed across his eye but his confident body language didn't waver.

  
"Well _Roman_ , It appears your father left this in that room of his," George said, reaching into the box.

  
He pulled out a tattered, brown journal and Roman's heart stopped.

  
Dad's journal.

  
He never goes anywhere without it.

  
"Judging by your face, you've seen this before." George said as he started flipping through the pages "This is full of satanic symbols and notes to a 'Roman and Virgil'."

  
"No idea who Virigl is, but the name Roman sounds familiar," Roman muttered.

  
George placed the book in front of him and flipped to a page with only one thing on it.

  
A pair of coordinates.

  
"Now, we think it's some kind of code. Lucky for us, we have the key right here." George smiled at him again.

  
"Now, you stay here and rack your brain for the answer, I'm going to see if we have any news on your partner." With that, the man left.

  
Roman looked down at the obvious pair of coordinates. Were all police this dumb? Or did he just happen to find one who doesn't even know what coordinates are?

  
He sighed and hoped Virigl would come up with a plan to get him out of here soon.

  
\---

  
Hours passed before George came to check on Roman.

  
"Crack the code yet?" He asked.

  
Roman was about to answer with a snarky comment when another man rushed into the room.

  
"Sir, a 911 call just came in. The guy said there was a shooting downtown. 11 bullets were allegedly fired."

  
George sighed "Let's get down there," He turned to Roman "You, stay here. I'll be back."

  
The officers left and Roman let out a small laugh.

  
The number 11 was one of the Winchester many codes. It meant "This is a distraction, get your sorry ass outta there."

  
Roman listened and once there was no more talking outside of the room, he began looking for something to undo his handcuffs.

  
A paperclip was sticking out of Dad's journal and he just managed to reach it.

  
Once he was free, he scooped up the journal and the rest of Dad's things that were in the box.

  
He left the station and started searching for a payphone.

  
As he walked, he made a mental note to thank Virigl for saving his ass once again.

  
\----

  
Virigl was sitting in the car on the side of a deserted road when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered it without even looking at the caller ID.

  
"Hello?"

  
"Nice use of the code, Virgie. Thought you'd forgotten about me."

  
Virigl smiled slightly "Thanks. Almost forgot about you because I find out some super helpful things about our case."

  
"That's great! Where are you?"

  
"I'm just outside of town."

  
"Wonderful. Can you maybe come to get me before they cuff me again? I'm going to have marks for days!"

  
Virigl sighed. Maybe it would have been best if he just left Roman in jail for a few days.

  
To, you know, teach him a lesson.

  
"Yeah, on my way," Virgil said, hanging up.

  
He turned the key and drove back into town, avoiding the downtown area.

  
He scooped Roman up just outside of the police station, after just barely seeing him crouched behind the payphone.

  
Roman climbed into the passenger seat "About time."

  
"Oh shut up."

  
Roman smirked, "Now tell me what you learned."


	9. One Dead Ghost and of Course Another Death Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 9

"A weeping woman, huh?" Roman said, "Didn't see that coming."

  
Virigl shrugged "Yeah. Her husband said she is buried behind their old house."

  
"You know what that means," Roman said, smiling.

  
"Yeah, I know."

  
"Come on Virgie! Sayyyy it!" Roman whined, dragging out the 'y'.

  
Virigl rolled his eyes "Fine. Salt 'N Burn!"

  
Roman laughed "Ah ha! Yes!"

  
Virgil felt a smile creep onto his face. It was times like this that he missed.

  
They continued their drive to the house that was listed in the article. Virigl sped up slightly, just wanting to be finished with this case.

  
His eyes began to wander to the radio and when he looked back up at the road, his heart stopped.

  
A woman was standing several feet from the car, right in the middle of the road.

  
"Virigl!" Roman shouted but it was too late to even bother slowing down.

  
Virigl hit the woman full on and both boys looking at each other, wide filled with horror.

  
" _I can never go home_."

  
They both cranked their necks toward the backseat and the woman was sitting there, completely unharmed.

  
Well, aside from the fact that she's dead.

  
Roman gripped Virgil's shoulder, "Drive!" he hissed, pulling a knife out of the glove box and pointed it at the ghost.

  
The younger boy pushed the gas pedal further into the ground.

  
The woman sat quietly in the back of the car, unphased by Roman's knife. She just looked at the two brothers with sorrow.

  
Virigl jerked the steering wheel and the hit the brakes, making the car skid to a stop. Roman was about to freak out but he looked out the windshield and saw a creepy house.

  
Why is it always a creepy house? Why not a cute little cottage?

  
Roman returned his attention to the back seat on to find it empty.

  
"Virigl...." He started before the passenger door swung open and he was flung onto the gravel driveway.

  
The wind was knocked right out of his lungs and he clawed at the ground, trying to regain himself.

  
Virgil, on the other hand, was pressed to the driver seat with the woman next to him.

  
"I can never go home," She whispered into his ear, sitting on his lap.

  
Virgil shot her any angry smile "You can't kill me...I'm not unfaithful," He snarled.

  
The ghost bit her lip " _Not yet_ ," she whispered as he cold hands ran down Virgil's chest. She slammed her lips into his, and he used all his power to try and shove her off.

  
The sound of a gunshot rang in Virgil's ears and suddenly the pressure was lifted off of Virgil's chest.

  
The ghost was gone. For now, anyway.

  
Roman was standing right outside the open passenger door, shotgun in hand.

  
Virigl looked behind him and saw the ghost start to materialize. The panic of a painful death made a crazy notion pop into his head.

  
"Guess what, you son of a bitch. I'm taking you home." Virigl snarled, slamming the gas pedal with his foot.

  
"Virigl!" Roman yelled as he helplessly watched the car shoot towards the house. The sound of wood snapping, glass breaking, and brakes screeching erupted. Roman bolted towards the house, or what was left.

  
The Impala had broken a massive hole through the front wall.

  
Was this Virgil's idea of a plan?

  
Roman glanced at the car. It appeared to be fine.

  
But Virigl was a different story. He was slouched against the driver's side door, a spot of blood on the right side of his head.

  
"Virgil!" Roman shouted as he dashed towards the car.

  
A high-pitched scream echoed through the house, causing Roman to clasp his hands over his ears and fall to his knees. The noise caused Virigl to stir.

  
Roman's eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the screeching. The ghost of the woman stood at the bottom of the old staircase.

  
" _I cannot be home._ " She wailed, looking up towards the top of the stairs.

  
Roman followed her gaze and saw the spirits of two young children, no older than 10.

  
Her children.

  
Suddenly it dawned on Roman. This was how to defeat her. She has to face her kids.

  
He got to his feet and glared at the spirit

  
"Face them, you bitch."

  
As soon as he said that, the children appeared next to their mother and with another deafening scream, all three ghosts disappeared.

  
"What the hell?" Virigl said, sitting up.

  
Roman raced to his side "Virigl! How did you know facing her kids would kill her?"

  
Virigl shrugged "Lucky guess?"

  
Roman shook his head and laughed.

  
"Good job, V."

  
"Anytime Ro."

  
"Oh, but one thing. If I find a scratch on my car, I'll kill you with my bare hands."

  
\-----

  
"You...you shot the ghost?" Virigl asked as the boys drove away from the town they had wreaked havoc in for the last week.

  
"She was about to kill you!" Roman protested.

  
"True. But I still can't believe you shot a ghost."

  
"I shot it will a shotgun bullet filled with rock salt! So it was even better than just throwing salt."

  
Virgil nodded "True. Maybe we should use them more often."

  
They drove in silence for a little bit before Virigl decided to check the GPS.

  
"Whoa whoa whoa. Roman, you took like, 6 wrong turns."

  
"What are you talking about, V? Where's the GPS set to?"

  
When Virigl didn't answer, Roman turned to look at him

  
"Virigl..."

  
The younger boy sighed "Fine! I set it for Standford."

  
Roman raised an eyebrow in confusion "Isn't that your-"

  
"Yes, it's my school. You promised you'd bring me back when we were done."

  
"Yeah, done with finding dad!"

  
Virigl pointed towards the back seat "You have his journal! That's a damn good lead!"

  
"Virigl, we make a crazy good team. Without you, I'd be dead by now!" Roman huffed.

  
"I know, but Roman. But I can't stay. I have a life. I have Justin! I just...I at least need to go back for a little bit."

  
"Fine."

  
"Roman,"

  
"Virigl shut it."

  
Virigl grumbled and laid back against the seat.

  
Just another wonderful car ride, like he hadn't had enough of these already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An action-packed chapter, whoop whoop!
> 
> And most of it was happy, yay!
> 
> This is me trying to apologize for the next chapter, which will most likely rip your heart out and stomp it into the ground :)
> 
> So thanks for reading! And I hope your heart and withstand the next chapter!
> 
> ~Madison


	10. A Tragic, ill-timed departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode One✧Chapter 10

Virgil gathered his things in his lap, but he lingered, not wanting to get out of the car.

  
"Virgil, you in there?" Roman said, poking his shoulder.

  
"Yeah, I'm just trying to think of something to say."

  
Roman shrugged "Don't bother. I'll send you another call if I really need you. Until then, take care of yourself."

  
Virigl wasn't typical a crier, but right now, he was seriously close to tears.

  
"Virgie, hey...keep it together man," Roman whispered. He felt his emotional armor start to crack.

  
He looked out his window, knowing if he caught Virgil's eyes he would lose it.

  
He heard Virigl suck in a deep breath and the door handle click.

  
"Love you, Ro," Virigl muttered as he closed the door.

  
"Love you too, Virgie," Roman muttered back, but it was too late.

  
Virgil was gone.

  
Roman watched him walk into the dorm building and as soon as he was out of sight, Roman felt a hot tear race down his face.

  
"Damn, get it together!" Roman said to himself. He flicked, more like slammed, the radio on and pulled out of the parking lot at record speed. He slowed down as he approached a stop-light, the loud trap music ringing in his ears. The intense blare of a fire truck caused him to turn down his music as passed by him.

  
Suddenly, peril gripped his heart.

  
It was going in the direction of Virgil's dorm.

  
That probably meant nothing, there was a lot in that direction. But Roman was not going to take any chances. He made a quick and definitely illegal U-turn and hastily followed the firetruck.

  
\----

  
Virigl took the elevator up to his and Justin's dorm room. As he waited for the doors to open, he promised he wouldn't make his return sad.

  
He didn't need Justin to question what had happened too much.

  
The less he knew, the safer he was.

  
So Virigl slapped on a smile and let himself be excited to see his boyfriend.

  
The elevator opened and he made his way down the hallway. He quickly found his dorm and unlocked the door.

  
Inside, everything was quiet and peaceful.

  
Just what he needed right now.

  
"Justin! I'm home!" He called as he placed his things on their table.

  
When there was no response, he thought nothing of it. He grabbed a soda out of the fridge and sat down on the couch.

  
The safe feeling of home settled in, and Virigl didn't feel as bad.

  
Maybe one day Roman would get to experience this feeling.

  
As he sipped his drink, Virigl heard the faint sounds of footsteps in the bedroom down the hall.

  
He got up and walked down the hall.

  
"Justin?" He said as he opened the bedroom door. The room was pitch black.

  
Something was wrong.

  
Virigl frantically hit the light switch and when nothing happened, he turned on full hunter mode.

  
"Justin!" He yelled, plunging into the darkness.

  
A hand gripped his shoulder tightly and he tackled the figure.

  
A small whimper was heard and Virigl quickly pulled himself up, along with the other person.

  
It was a very shaken Justin.

  
"Justin, what the hell?" Virgil said, confused.

  
"T-thank god you're here," Justin whispered, burying his face in Virgil's neck.

  
" _Aww, what a sweet reunion!_ "

  
Virgil's arms tightened around his boyfriend.

  
Through the darkness, the silhouette of a man could be seen. A break in was rare around campus, but still, completely possible.

  
But the comment was odd...and unnecessary.

  
"Alright buddy, time to leave before I call the cops...or take matters into my own hands," Virgil growled

  
A chilling laugh echoed through the room.

  
"Virigl, Virgil, Virgil, you really need to contain yourself. You wouldn't want to scare him, would you?"

  
Virigl looked down at the shaking Justin in his arms.

  
"Leave. _Now_."

  
"Why would I? The fun is just getting started!"

  
Virigl squinted, racking his brain for any idea who this could be.

  
Suddenly, he saw it.

  
Two glowing yellow eyes, looking more sinister surrounded by the darkness.

  
"Who the fuck...." Virgil's voice trailed off as he placed his hand protectively on Justin's head. Something wet and warm touched his hand.

  
Blood.

  
Holy shit.

  
Virgil was about to kill what did this.

  
"Justin, listen to me. I want you to leave the building. Now."

  
Justin nodded, not moving from Virgil's arms.

  
The figure laughed "Aw, you're so adorable, Virgie! Thinking you can control any of this."

  
The yellow eyes were getting closer.

  
Virigl reached around his back and felt along his belt. Lucky for him, before he left the Impala, Virigl had slid a silver dagger into his belt. Just to be safe. Virigl counted to three then gently shoved Justin towards the door just as he launched himself toward the yellow-eyed creature.

  
The knife sunk right into its chest. Killing it.

  
Well, it should have killed it.

  
The creature tilted its head and laughed as it pulled the knife out and threw it aside.

  
"Such a nieve boy...but spontaneous. I knew I made a good choice."

  
"Good choice? What _the fuck_ are you -" Virgil blurted, taking a step backward.

  
"All in good time, Virgie, all in good time. For now, though, you have a lesson to learn." The creature purred. The knife caught the reflection of the hallway light and Virigl felt his breath get caught in his throat.

  
This is the end.

  
This is how he was going to die.

  
The creature swiftly moved closer "You'll respect me soon. For now, you can bleed out on the floor."

  
The knife was raised and Virigl closed his eyes as the creature prepared to slam the knife into his flesh.

  
"No!" Justin screamed, running right in front of Virigl. He groaned as the knife cut into him.

  
The creature watched as the blonde boy dropped to the floor then looked a shocked and petrified Virigl.

  
"That worked out better than expected," The creature said just as it vanished into thin air.

  
Virgil's knees gave out as he gathered Justin's limp frame into his arms.

  
"Hey, hey, baby, can you hear me?" He whispered, tears clouding his vision.

  
No no no no, this cannot be real.

  
"Y-yes...I-I..." Justin muttered breathy, his hands gripping Virgil's arms.

  
"Shhh, it's ok...it's all going to be ok..." Virigl said, his voice shaking.

  
Justin let out a small whimper

  
"V-Virgil...take care of yourself," he said, his eyes glazing over.

  
"I-I..." Virgil's voice seemed to fade to nothing.

  
"And...V? I love you....please d-don't forget that...."

  
"I love you too...I won't I promise," Virigl sobbed, holding him tighter.

  
This was his fault, all his fault. If he had just stayed away...

  
Justin sucked in a wobbly breath "N-no...this wasn't your fault, p-please don't blame yourself... I'm glad you c-came home..."

  
Virigl pulled Justin to his chest and muttered anything he could think of. He felt Justin stop breathing and his body went limp.

  
"No no _no no._..." Virigl mumbled as a cold dread set into his heart.

  
Justin was gone.

  
And it was all his fault.

  
As he sobbed, the world around him seemed to dissipate. Nothing else mattered but the lifeless frame of his once cheery boyfriend.

  
The smell of burning plastic filled his nose, causing him to finally look around the room.  A fire was roaring just feet away from him. It devoured the walls and was getting closer every second.

  
Virigl made no attempt to move or flee.

  
If he died, he wouldn't have to live with the guilt of knowing he had got Justin killed.

  
The heat of the flames seared his skin, but he could barely feel it.

  
Sirens wailed outside but the smoke was making Virgil's brain turn to mush.

  
He laid over Justin's body, his eyelids feeling heavy. Maybe if he closed them, this nightmare would end.

  
Just before he lost himself, the feeling of being lifted and carried out set in.

  
"J-justin..." He managed to whispered, "Need him,"

  
"It's alright Virigl, everything's gonna be fine." Roman's voice was the last thing Virigl heard before his mind shut down completely.

  
\----

  
Roman had followed the fire trucks right to Virgil's dorm building, proving his intuition was right.

  
As the fire crackled away, police were pushing curious people away.

  
"Stand back, please. We have everything under control." One officer said.

  
"My brother's in there," Roman yelled, pushing his way through the wave of people "I have to get in there!"

  
"Sir, I'm sure the firemen have gotten to him already-"

  
The rest of what the officer was saying went unheard by Roman was he shoved past him. He was not going to stand by and watch other people try to save his brother.

  
He raced up the stairs, finding the floor he had walked with Virigl just an hour before.

  
Virgil's dorm door was clouded by smoke. Roman covered his face with his arm and kicked at the door.

  
Being made brittle by the flames, it fell to the ground and Roman darted into the room.

  
"Virigl!" He shouted, regretting it as he inhaled a lungful of smoke. He looked around the saw bigger flames coming from the bedroom. He crouched down, hoping to lessen the amount of smoke he was breathing in and hoped no one was in the burning room.

Roman's hope was quickly shattered when he saw Virigl laying over what looked like his boyfriend. There was a small puddle of blood next to them.

  
"Virigl!" Roman called, pulling his brother away from Justin. He took the boy's pulse but was greeted with nothing.

  
Shit shit shit.

  
""J-Justin..." Virigl whispered as Roman picked him up and carried him out of the blazing room, "Need him,"

  
"It's alright Virigl, everything's gonna be fine," Roman said, feeling his emotions gain control.

  
This is the second time he had to carry Virigl out of a burning building, leaving someone who was deeply loved behind.

  
Roman considered just letting the flames swallow them, but his legs kept moving until they were out of the dorms and outside being surrounded by paramedics.

  
He climbed into the ambulance where they put Virigl and as it pulled away from the fire, he clutched Virgil's hand, letting himself break down into tears.

  
At least Virigl was okay.

  
At least they still had each other.

 

_**{End of Episode One}** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely did not cry while I wrote this chapter.
> 
> I'm sorry if I made your heart hurt :)
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> ~Madison


	11. ~~~~~

This is only to divide the episodes!


	12. The Agonizing Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 1

_Two weeks._

  
Two whole weeks have passed since that day and Virigl and Roman Winchester still haven't talked about it.

  
Actually, Virgil hadn't said much since. Not that Virigl is the most talkative person, but Roman knew it was worse than ever when Virigl completely missed a perfect opportunity to roast him.

  
Or when Roman played his favorite songs and Virigl just stared out the car window.

  
And especially when Virigl whispered troubling things in his sleep and woke up violently. Roman had barely been able to sleep since he made the decision to stay awake all night so Virigl wouldn't have to deal with the dreams alone.

  
They still moved from motel to motel, sometimes sleeping in the car parked in random parking lots. They were always on the lookout for a case to work, a monster to kill, a creature to hunt.

  
They were currently cruising down the highway, on their way to investigate a super weird missing person case.

  
As Roman drove, he carefully shifted his gaze to Virigl, who was passed out next to him, his face smushed against the car window.

  
Virgil's gentle breaths were barely heard over the steady purr of the engine but they brought Roman comfort.

  
While Virigl had nightmares about that night, Roman had flashbacks. Usually, they happened when he was alone, mainly in the shower, but they were getting more unruly.

  
He could still smell the noxious smoke and feel the heat on his face. The haunting vision of Virgil, slumped over Justin's limp body was painted in Roman's mind.

  
The boy was so young...

  
He had his whole life ahead of him. Yet something felt the need to snatch him away from everything.

  
Roman crinkled his nose in disgust and opened his window. The crisp night air tousled his hair and cooled his nerves.

  
"Damn, Ro. It's cold," Virigl muttered as he woke from his nap.

  
Roman closed the window, longing for the breeze as it disappeared.

  
"How'd you sleep?" He said softly. If Virgil actually started talking to him again, it means the wounds were starting to heal.

  
Right?

  
"Alright, I guess," Virigl replied, pulling his sweatshirt tighter to his chest.

  
"We still have about 2 hours until we reach town. Why don't you try and sleep some more?" Roman said, glancing over at his brother.

  
Virgil's eyes were bloodshot, almost as if he was high. The three to five hours of sleep he was getting was not enough.

  
Roman was getting even less, but that was irrelevant.

  
"Don't want to. I should get a head start on the research we'll be doing." Virigl offered.

  
Roman shook his head slightly but didn't say anything. If he tried to smother Virigl, the boy would just shut him out completely.

  
That would be counter-productive and besides, he had gotten Virigl to have a conversation with him.

  
It was a start.

  
And that's better than nothing.

  
\----

  
The motel Roman picked was decent, not that it mattered. They both needed to sleep and this was the cheapest place on this side of town.

  
"Tomorrow we'll go talk to the girl's family," Roman told Virigl as he made his way to the bathroom.

  
Virigl nodded and sat on the corner of one bed. As soon as he heard the click of the bathroom door closing, his whole body drooped.

  
If it was up to him, he would curl up in the bed and never get up. He slowly pulled the sweatshirt up to his nose and took a deep breath.

  
The gentle smell of Justin's favorite perfume set off a chain reaction of memories. Some good, some bad, and some dirty.

  
Virigl had left the sweatshirt in the back of the Impala the night he returned. Seeing Roman so upset made him feel guilty and he wanted nothing but to leave and stop causing his brother such misery.

  
He packed in haste and that's the only reason he left it behind.

  
Thank god he did.

Most of Justin's stuff had perished in the fire, along with a lot of priceless things. Justin's parents still had pictures of them and most of his super personal belongings.

  
But Virgil?

  
He lost everything.

  
Sure, Roman and Dad had saved lots of picutres and mom's jewelry, but Virigl had kept some things for himself. His tendency to get attached to material items made this even harder.

  
Focusing on what items he had lost was easier than focusing on the numb feeling in his chest that seemed to linger. Anything was easier than fixating on the moment life left Justin's eyes.

  
Anything was better than remembering the way Justin would scrunch his nose when he giggled, or how he would hum softly when they laid in each other's arms.

  
Virgil's lip began to tremble as he laid down. Silent tears began to flow as he starred up at the ceiling.

  
There were many things he wanted to say, curses he wanted to put out into the universe but he just didn't have the energy.

  
Virgil let out a choked sob, quickly clamping his hand over his mouth. He sat up and studied the bathroom door. It was still closed and the shower was still running.

  
Roman might act tough and strong but deep down, he was fragile. Putting extra stress on him could cause him to break.

  
Virgil had decided long ago that it was better to conceal anything too hurtful than to put that burden on Roman's shoulders.

  
This was different though.

  
As he laid curled up on the faded motel sheets, Virigl realized that this was too much to hold in, even for Roman's sake.

  
He could almost feel Justin's gentle touch on his back as he cried.

  
_"Shhh...don't blame yourself..."_

  
The sobs rattled Virgil as he played the words over and over in his head, the soothing voice of his late boyfriend filling his head.

  
"It's not my fault....it's not my fault....it's not my fault.." He whispered to himself, hating the bitter taste they left in his mouth.

  
He knew that deep down, they were lies.

  
This cycle continued for what felt like an eternity and by the time Roman got out of the shower, Virigl had slipped into a light sleep.

  
Roman covered his brother with a blanket and gave him a sad smile.

  
"We'll get through this Virgie, I promise." He said as he laid down to get some much-needed sleep.


	13. Some Heavy Shit with a Side of Drunk Nostalgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 2

"Hello Mrs. Lee, I'm Agent Grant and this is my partner Agent Morris. We would like to ask you some questions about your daughter's disappearance." Virigl said to the woman standing in the doorway.

  
Her eyes glazed over and she nodded "Sure, come in, please." She said softly, waving the boys into the house.

  
The boys followed her into the living room and sat down on the pale green couch. The room radiated a calming energy, from the pastel watercolor landscapes hanging on the wall to the light coffee colored walls.

  
Virgil let the peace wash over him and got ready for the task ahead.

  
"I don't understand...the police said there are no more leads..." Mrs. Lee said. The pain in her eyes was clear, and it made Virgil's heart hurt.

  
She was going through something similar to him.

  
But there was something else concealed.

  
_Hope_.

  
This woman was hopeful. She knew her daughter was still out there somewhere.

  
Unlike Virgil, who knew what he lost was never coming back.

  
"Mrs. Lee, what do you remember about the day your daughter disappeared?" Roman asked.

  
The woman took in a shaky breath "Please, call me Jane. And that day...oh it was horrible."

  
The boys shared a looked.

  
"Could you please elaborate?" Virgil said.

  
Jane nodded "Well, Holly had been acting strange. For weeks she would barely leave her room. She cut off all her friends and...and she ignored me. No matter what I said or threated or begged. It was like I wasn't even there."

  
Virgil raised his eyebrow at Roman and he shrugged slightly.

  
"Jane, did Holly have a history with mental health problems?" Virgil asked as he leaned forward slightly.

  
"No! She was a happy and positive girl. She loved her friends and her family. Her behavior before she disappeared was so odd. It was like something was controlling her. Whatever it was, I _know_ it wasn't my Holly."

  
"Well Jane, thank you for your time. You can be sure that we will do everything in our power to find your daughter." Roman said, rising to his feet.

  
Virgil followed, the woman's words replying over and over.

  
' _It was like something was controlling her._ '

  
"We should call Bobby," Virgil said as soon as they got into the Impala.

  
"I was thinking the same thing. We could use some extra help." Roman agreed.

  
\----

  
Once they got back to the motel, Roman dialed Bobby's phone number. As Roman gave the man a quick review of what was happening, Virgil got himself a soda.

  
Bobby Singer was a friend of Dad's. He had practically helped raise them. From a safe place to sleep to an extra helping hand, Bobby had never let the Winchesters down.

  
"She said that 'it was like something was controlling her.' Do you have any ideas about what they could be?" Roman asked.

  
There was silence on their side as Bobby chattered away.

  
"A demon? Do you really think....okay okay. Yeah, I guess we can check for that." Roman said into the phone.

  
Hearing only one side of the conversation was frustrating and Virgil shot Roman an agitated look.

  
"Thanks, Bobby, yeah I'll fill Virgie in....i'll tell him that too. We'll call you soon. Bye." Roman hung up the phone and tossed it on one of the beds.

  
"Well? What did he say?" Virgil asked.

  
"He said it was probably a demon possession," Roman answered with a shrug "I just don't know..."

  
"Roman, you heard the lady. What she said points to demon possession almost perfectly!" Virigl protested, not understanding his brother's confusion.

  
"I'm just not sure we should take on this case," Roman said.

  
"Why? You were the one who wanted to come here in the first place!" Virigl said, getting more and more annoyed.

  
"Spit it out, Ro."

  
"I don't want you to get hurt."

  
Virgil paused, his brow creased in confusion.

  
"You don't think I'm strong enough?" He whispered. The words pinched at his pride, making him feel more incapable than before.

  
"Virgie, no. Hell, you're stronger than me. This is just....really big. Like demons? That's some heavy shit."

  
Virgil looked down at his feet as if that would help block Roman out.

  
Roman sighed. What he wanted to say was getting lost and misinterpreted.

  
"All I'm saying is that we should take this slow. Dip out toes in the water first instead of doing a full-blown cannonball." Roman offered.

  
Virgil looked at his brother.

  
"Fine. I guess that makes sense." He muttered.

  
Roman smiled "Great! Now, how about we go grab some drinks, eat greasy food, and pretend we're two completely normal dudes?"

  
Virgil couldn't hide his tiny smirk even if he wanted to "Sure. I could really go for some mozzarella sticks right now."

  
\----

  
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Roman exclaimed as be began to stuff his face full of mozzarella sticks.

  
"Dude, _dude_ , you're gonna choke and _die_ ," Virgil said as he shook his head and chuckled.

  
Roman said something, his words buried by all the cheesy goodness.

  
"Again and this time with less food." Virgil teased.

  
"I saaaid, how fun is this! Just dudes being guys! Some guys being dudes!" Roman said.

  
Anyone who didn't know Roman would see him and just think he was a happy go lucky fellow but Virgil knew his brother was tipsy.

  
Roman was a very happy drunk. He was crack jokes and say things his normal self would probably never even think to say. It made him fun to be around but also a chore to handle.

  
"You know at the end of that vine he says....nevermind," Virgil said. He didn't need Roman screaming out things that would make the people around them get them kicked out.

  
That had happened before.

  
Roman was especially drunk on a night around 4 years ago. Dad was on a hunt and he had left the boys alone for about 2 weeks. Roman was 22 and Virigl was 18, which made one of them legal to drink.

  
They were in some small town in Texas so when they both entered the bar, no one even bothered to card them.

  
"This is great, V! We can drink all we want and no one will even care!" Roman had said, ordering them both two beers to start.

  
"Yeah...great." Virgil had been kind of a downer that night, only wanting to stay in the motel and sleep.

  
Roman asked him to go because he knew Virgil wouldn't let him leave on his own.

  
So after 6 bottles of beer and a couple shots, Roman was drunk.

  
Like fully "I'm gonna blackout and puke myself drunk." And before Virgil would stop him, he climbed onto the bar counter and screamed "I'm gay!" at the top of his lungs.

  
They had been kicked out pretty quickly after that but the boys didn't care. It was too fucking funny.

  
"Did you see that one guy's face?! I gave him a small wink on the way out and I think he threw up on the spot!" Roman slurred, laughing so hard he almost couldn't breathe.

  
Virgil laughed along with him "No but I bet it was priceless!"

  
As the brothers walked back to the motel, they joked around and Virigl had to help Roman puke on the side of the road.

  
But Roman's smile never faltered. He slung his arm around Virgil's shoulder for support as they walked.

  
"Dude, even though my mouth tastes like acid and I got us kicked out, I had fun tonight! We should go drinking more often!" Roman said, slurring over his words slightly.

  
Virigl laughed "Sure, Ro. Whatever you say."

  
The flashback ended and Virgil looked up at Roman, who was 4 beers and 3 shots deep.

  
"Please don't drink too much, I don't want to have to drag your fat ass all the way to the hotel," Virigl whined, taking a sip of his beer.

  
Roman winked at him "Don't worry, I can handle my liquor."

  
\----

  
Turns out, Roman can't handle his liquor.

  
After two more beers and 3 more shots, Roman was piss drunk and Virigl was reliving that one night from Texas.

  
"Come on buddy, time to leave." He said as he pulled Roman to his feet.  


The boy looked pathic.

  
He was grinning and his eyes were slightly glazed over.

  
Thankfully though, Virgil was able to get them out of the bar without any issues.

  
Once they were both back at the motel, they changed out of their dirty clothes and settled down.

  
Roman was busy trying to get the TV to turn. He only had to plug it into the wall but being drunk and all, he didn't seem to notice that.

  
"They gave us a broken TV! What the fuck!" He exclaimed, sitting defeated in front of the blank TV.

  
"Try plugging it in," Virigl said, shaking his head.

  
He was related to this dumbass.

  
Roman giggled as he plugged the TV in.

  
"Thanks, Virgie! I have no idea what I would do without you!" He said, grinning.

  
"Yeah, me either. You're a massive dumbass." Virigl replied.

  
Roman laughed again "I know. Like when I thought I lost you in the fire! Who knows what I would have done!"

  
Virigl bit his lip as he watched Roman fall forward on his bed.

  
What did he mean by 'who knows what I would have done'?

  
Would Roman have turned into Dad and hunt down anything and everything, blinded by revenge?

  
Or would he have shut himself off completely with only his thoughts and alcohol?

  
Virigl buried those thoughts deep. He didn't want his brother's drunk ramblings to throw him into a downward spiral.

  
Whatever TV show Roman picked played in the background, giving the perfect amount of white noise.

  
Virigl laid back and closed his eyes, Roman's gentle laugh making him smile. It was rare to see his brother so happy, and even though it was because he was drunk, it made Virigl happy.

  
It was almost like they were kids again, playing pranks on each other behinds Dad's back and staying up late watching scary movies when Dad left them alone. The movies themselves weren't scary compared to what they had experienced, but the joy of munching on junk food and mocking the characters was the highlight of those nights.

  
"Hey Roman," Virigl said, turning to face his brother's bed.

  
"Yeah, Virgie?" Roman replied, also turning to face his brother.

  
"Remeber when we would watch those 'scary' movies when Dad was out hunting?"

  
Roman smiled "Oh my god, yes! The amount of snacks we would eat probably would have fed a small country."

  
Virigl laughed, holding his stomach. It was something he had always done when he laughed, but it's been a while since something made him genuinely laugh that hard.

  
"Yeah, not our best choice," Virigl rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling "I don't know what made me think of that...doesn't it make you miss being a kid?"

  
Roman nodded "Sometimes. But our childhoods weren't exactly, you know, normal."

  
Virigl shrugged "True, but I still miss it. Like before Dad hated my guts. Or when we would drive down to Bobby's and spend a couple of weeks down there! Do you remember that? It was the best when Dad would just leave us there. We would work on the cars and Bobby would take us to the movies and there was no hunting and no killing. It was amazing." Virigl stopped rambling and looked over at Roman.

  
His brother was fast alseep, drooling slightly.

  
"Good to know I wasn't just talking to myself. Maybe if you didn't drink so much, you would have been able to join in this nice, heartfelt converstation." Virigl paused.

  
"You're not going to remember any of this, are you?"

  
Suprisingly, his brother did not reply.

  
"Yeah, you probably won't. Well Ro, maybe tomorrow we can continue your heart to heart and you might be able to stay awake the whole time!"

  
Virigl smirked to himself and shifted into a more comfortable position.

  
While he laid there, waiting for sleep to find him, the thought of tomorrow didn't seem all that bad.

  
Maybe the healing was starting.

  
Maybe the world was finally smiling down on him.

  
And maybe, just maybe, he was gonna catch a break.


	14. A Deadly Fiance & An Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 3

"My head hurts so bad, Virgie," Roman whined as the boys climbed into the Impala. They were once again dressed in their "I swear we're FBI agents" suits and we're going to go talk to the victim's fiance.

  
"Maybe that's because you drank your weight in beer last night," Virgil said, sliding into the passenger seat. Roman really shouldn't drive, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with more whining.

  
Roman got behind the wheel and rubbed his temples "Dude, why did you let me drink that much?"

  
"I tried to stop you. You didn't listen." Virgil replied.

  
"Wonderful. Now we're gonna go interview this girl's husband?" Roman asked, turning the key.

  
Virigl shook his head "No, her fiance. While you were still passed out this morning, her mother called and told me that he was back in town. She actually wants us to talk to him, she thinks maybe he knows something. I was thinking maybe he could tell us something to confirm its a demon thing"

  
Roman shrugged "That's good enough for me. Let's go see what he knows."

  
\---

  
"I don't understand, the police already talked to me...I'm not a suspect, right? Because I swear I didn't do anything to Holly." The man rambled.

  
Virigl shook his head softly "No, you're not a suspect, we just wanted to clear some things up, see if we have the facts right."

  
The man nodded "Alright, what do you want to know?"

  
Roman pulled out a yellow notepad "Was Holly acting abnormally in the days leading up to her disappearance?"

  
The man's eyes darted around the room and he began to fidget in his seat.

  
"Sir?" Roman said, his eyes catching the man's gaze.

  
"Yes. She was acting strange....it was like her whole personality shifted."

  
"Like how? Do you remember anything specific?" Virgil asked.

  
"Yeah, she was looking up odd things on the computer, like witchy symbols and stuff. When I asked her about it, she told me it wasn't anything a brainless human needed to know. Holly was never into any of that scary horror stuff, and that makes this even odder."

  
Roman and Virgil each raised an eyebrow at each other. Maybe Bobby was right after all.

  
"Odd question, but did her eyes ever....change color?" Roman asked, making Virgil's heart stop.

  
He couldn't just ask that! This man was gonna kick them out and realize their not actual agents and they were gonna get caught-

  
"I...actually...yes, they did. Damn, you're not gonna have me sent to a mental hospital right? Because this sounds crazy, but I swear I'm sane."

  
"Sir, nothing you say will leave this room," Roman reassured him.

  
The man sighed "Her eyes turned black. She blinked a few times and they were back to normal. Whatever caused it was definitely evil."

  
"Thank you for your time, sir, this could help us find you're fiance," Roman said, getting to his feet.

  
As the man led them to the front door, Virgil studied him closely.

  
Something was off.

  
"Christo," Virgil mumbled under his breath.

  
The man flinched and rammed Virgil into the wall.

  
"You dumb shit, you couldn't have just left?" He whispered, blinking. The man's eyes were pitch black.

  
"Hey, hey! Get off of him!" Roman yelled, grabbing the man by his shoulders.

  
Without releasing his grip on Virigl, the man pushed Roman away and he crashed into the coffee table, falling limply.

  
"Now that we got him off our backs, let's have a little chat, huh?" The demon said, smirking.

  
\---

  
Virgil was glaring daggers as the demon dragged him to the couch. He released his grip and sat in the chair across from Virgil.

  
"If you try anything, your brother will pay the price." The demon said, pulling the unconscious Roman closer to him by his arm.

  
Virgil did his best not to look at Roman. He needed to be on full alert and find a way out of here.

  
"Who are you?" Virigl said, wishing to be anywhere but here.

  
The demon laughed "Remember ol' yellow eyes? The one who killed your sweet Justin? I'm one of his many...admirers."

  
The taste of blood filled Virgil's mouth as he bit down on his lip.

  
This monster helped kill Justin.

  
Virgil lunged forward but something kept him stuck to the couch.

  
"Calm down, big boy. I have strict orders not to kill you, which I strongly disagree with, by the way. But if you pull anything, he'll be dead in seconds." The demon said, gesturing at Roman.

  
Virigl struggled against his invisible bonds before slumping back. He was stuck in an impossible situation.

  
The sound of wood cracking and a shotgun going off echoed off the walls and Virgil ducked his head down.

  
He looked at the demon and saw 4 bullet holes in his chest. The man wailed in pain as a thick black smoke escaped out his mouth. The man collapsed, blood slowly pooling next to him.

  
"What the fuck-" Virgil muttered as he jumped to his feet to face whoever just basically rescued them.

  
"You boys really are idjits. I told your brother to stay put, looks like you didn't follow my advice."

  
Virgil smiled and almost felt the urge to cry.

  
"Bobby," He blurted "It's so good to see you."

  
An older man stood there, a worn baseball cap on and shotgun in hand. He grinned "Good to see you too, boy. Now before we both start sobbing, let's get out of herebefore that bitch wakes up."  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a bit on the shorter side but I've been to busy to write and I wanted to post something!  
> So enjoy!


	15. So Maybe I'm Not Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 4

"You were right about the demons," Roman said, holding a bag of frozen peas to his head. He had been beaten up pretty badly but seeing Bobby kept both Winchester boys smiling.  
  


"Of course I was, I knew as soon as you told me about it. And I also knew you boys would try to tackle it yourselves," Bobby said, grabbing a beer from the motel fridge.  
  


"Someone had to keep you from dying," He added with a smirk.  
  


"Yeah, thanks for that. Who knows what would have happened if you didn't get there when you did." Virgil said, tending to some small scratches on his cheek.  
  


"Well, we're basically right back where we started," Roman sighed "There's one missing girl, one demon fiance, and one heartbroken mom-"  
  


"Sounds like a really bad soap opera plot," Virgil muttered.  
  


Bobby chuckled as Roman rolled his eyes.  
  


"My point is that this was a waste of time! We might as well just go to Bobby's place and forget about this case." Roman said, getting up to grab himself a beer.  
  


Virgil shrugged "I don't know. I feel like there's still something here."  
  


"Roman's right, V. If the local police somehow tie us to the dead guy, we're screwed. Best to leave town before that happens." Bobby admitted.  
  


Virgil opened his mouth to say something else when a shrill ringing sound filled his head.  
  


"Fuck, what is that?" He yelled as his eyes darted around the room, wide with fear.  
  


Roman raced across the room and gripped him tightly by his shoulders "Virgil! What's what? What's wrong?"  
  


Virgil felt his mouth go dry and a deep throbbing pain engulf his head "I-I'm okay..."  
  


"Bullshit, V! What's wrong?" Roman urged, shaking him slightly. Virgil's eyes were beginning to dilate, causing Roman to shake him even harder.  
  


"Focus on me, Virgie." He demanded, getting nothing but a whimper in response. Roman looked over at Bobby for any sort of guidance.  
  


"Roman, let him go. Lay him down, he might start having a seizure." Bobby ordered as he went to the sink, searching for a cool rag or anything of the sort.  
  


Roman followed the order swiftly, lying Virgil down, who was now holding his head and mewling in pain. Virgil felt a cold towel get placed on his head and he focused on that, trying to drown out the pain.  
  


"Stay with me Virgie," Roman said, studying his brother's pain-ridden face.  
  


Roman's voice was the last thing Virgil heard before the pain overtook all his senses, knocking him into unconsciousness.  
  


\----  
  


"He's been out cold for almost an hour, Bobby. What are we supposed to do?" Roman groaned, sitting on the bed next to a limp Virgil.  
  


"He'll come around. Eventually," Bobby answered, "For now, I need to make a few calls."  
  


"What? Why?"  
  


"Don't you want to know why your brother was suddenly clutching his head in pain, screaming bloody murder?"  
  


"...Yes, sir." Roman muttered.  
  


Bobby sighed "Just hang tight, Ro. I'll be right back."  
  


Roman watched Bobby gather his bag and walk out of the motel room. He looked back at Virgil and shook his head.  
  


"You can't seem to stay out of trouble, can you?" He said, getting up to pace around the room.  
  


Minutes seemed to drag by as Roman walked the length of the room over and over again. Eventually, Bobby came back, hanging up the phone as he did.  
  


"Well?" Roman asked, stopping his pacing.  
  


"I have a few...acquaintances looking around for anything. They should be reporting back in a few days." Bobby said.  
  


"A few days!? What if he's out cold for that long?" Roman protested.  
  


"Roman, you need to calm down. I'm sure he'll be awake any minute and then we can hit the road."  
  


They both looked over at Virgil who, instead of looking peaceful, was tense.  
  


"Was he like that before?" Bobby asked, walking over to Virgil's bedside.  
  


"No, he looked like he was sleeping before..." Roman muttered from his spot behind Bobby.  
  


Virgil sharply sucked in a breath and his eyes opened wide. He started to sit up and Bobby helped him upright.  
  


"Come on V, 'attaboy," Bobby said, patting his back.  
  


"So maybe I'm not okay," He grimaced, "My head feels like someone tried running it over with a truck. What happened?"  
  


"You don't remember?" Roman asked, quickly looking at Bobby.  
  


The older man shrugged and Virgil shook his head, "No, care to fill me in?"  
  


"Well, you started screaming in pain and holding your head, for no reason," Roman explained.  
  


Silence filled the room as they all tried to get their bearings straight. The sound of sirens in the distance brought them back to reality.  
  


"We can figure this out on the road, boys," Bobby said, breaking the silence.  
  


"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here," Roman added, helping Virgil to his feet.  
  


They grabbed the rest of their things from the motel room and quickly loaded up the Impala and Bobby's truck.

\-----

"Hey, change the station," Roman said to Virgil, turning left to follow Bobby's truck. They were on their way to the older man's home. It was a safe place to recharge and find out what the hell was happening with Virgil.  
  


"You know, it would be so much easier if you get put in a more modern system. Then I could play any song we wanted with my phone." Virgil said, changing the radio station. A classic rock song started playing and Roman started to air guitar with his free hand.  
  


"Why? We'd miss out on all the quality old school music and the wonderful ads!" Roman teased while he turned up the radio.  
  


"You'd be able to listen to any Ariana Grande song you wanted, whenever you felt like it," Virgil added, smirking when Roman stopped his stupid dancing.  
  


"When we get to Bobby's, I'll see if I can find a newer radio," Roman muttered.  
  


Virgil laughed "You're easily convinced, you know that right?"  
  


"Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask for your opinion then, right?" Roman said, trying not to smile.  
  


"Jerk," Virgil replied.  
  


"Bitch," Roman added.  
  


Both boys laughed and Roman turned the radio up even louder.  
  


So what only three hours ago Virgil was passed out from a mysterious headache. Right now everything was almost back to normal. There was no real argument going on and they were about to spend some days with Bobby.  
  


To Roman, that seemed like a streak of good luck. And he was happy to take anything he was offered. 


	16. Good Times Never Last, Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 5

"Text Bobby and tell him we're gonna need gas," Roman told Virgil, who nodded and pulled out his phone.  
  


They drove a little farther before they pulled into a gas station.  
  


"Is it pay at the pump or do we have to go in?" Roman asked, pulling up to a gas pump.  
  


"Uhh, looks like someone has to go in," Virgil answered, not moving from his seat.  
  


Roman shut the car off and turns to look at his brother "Well?"  
  


Virgil looks at Roman and raises an eyebrow "Well what?"  
  


"Why are you still sitting here?"  
  


"Because...?"  
  


Roman sighed "Go in and pay!"  
  


Virgil pushed his hair out of his face "Why me?"  
  


"Because I said so!"  
  


"You're super bossy, you know that right?" Virgil said as he opened his door.  
  


Roman nodded "Yes. Now make sure pay for both pumps-"  
  


"I'm not an idiot, Ro. I'm sure I can handle this."  
  


"Just go pay."  
  


"What do you think I'm doing?" Virgil sassed before he turned and slowly walked away from the car.  
  


"Cut it out, you two," Bobby ordered, trying to hide his slight amusement.  
  


"You're so annoying Virgil!" Roman yelled to him, shrugging at Bobby.  
  


"I know!" Virgil yelled back just before he walked into the building.  
  


Bobby and Roman both stood next to their gas pumps, waiting for Virgil to come back out.  
  


"What on earth could be taking him this long?" Bobby asked, looking at his watch "He's been in there for almost 10 minutes!"  
  


Roman shook his head "No idea."  
  


They paused for a moment.  
  


"Whatever, I'm gonna pump first," Roman said. He grabbed the gas pump handle and immediately a sharp pain shot up his arm.  
  


"Fuck!" He exclaimed, dropping the handle while jumping back slightly.  
  


"Roman, what did you do?" Bobby asked, about to pick up the gas pump hose.  
  


"Don't touch it!" Roman said, looking at his hand. The dim light of the above streetlights shone just enough to let him see a small pin-prick of blood in the center of his right hand.  
  


"Someone taped a needle to the inside of the handle," He said, shaking his hand, "Check the handle on your pump."  
  


Bobby nodded and looked at the inside of his gas pump handle.  
  


"Yup, there's one on this one too," He answered, turning back to Roman.  
  


The boy looked dazed, his eyes rapidly darting around. Bobby rushed to his side and slung his arm over his shoulder.  
  


"I think it drugged me," Roman said breathlessly, his head falling forward.  
  


Bobby cursed and helped Roman stand more upright "Let's go get your brother and get out of here."  
  


Bobby walked Roman with him up to the building. He pushed the door open and crinkled his nose. His eyes landed on the unfortunate man who must have been working the counter that night.  
  


Blood painted the wall behind the body as more of the red liquid trickled out of the man's chest.  
  


"Oh fuck," Bobby whispered as he looked around the store. If they hadn't seen the man, the store would have looked normal.  
  


Roman looked up and as soon as he saw the man, he frowned.  
  


"Should we...you know...check this out?" He slurred, blinking rapidly.  
  


"No, I will check this out, you are gonna sit right here," Bobby answered, sitting Roman against one of the walls.  
  


Roman sat there for a minute, trying to get control of his hazy mind. Then it dawned on him.  
  


He hadn't seen Virgil when they first walked in here.  
  


He struggled to his feet, the light above him seemed blinding.  
  


"Virgil!" He yelled, stumbling around.  
  


He tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground, coming into contact with the cold, unforgiving tile.  
  


"Bobby," He croaked, using all his will power to keep his eyes open.  
  


"Roman!" Bobby said, pulling the boy off the floor "I told you to stay where you were!"  
  


"Virgil...gone..." Roman muttered.  
  


"I know, I know. We need to get out of here before more demons come to clean up the mess." Bobby said, beginning to walk towards the door.  
  


"...demons?" Roman asked, his legs dragging weightlessly.  
  


"Yes. There's sulfur all over the place." Bobby explained as he got Roman into the passenger seat of his truck.  
  


"I'm gonna hook Baby up to the tow. You need to rest and get that drug out of your system. Then we'll hunt down Virgil and the bastards that took him. Sound good?" Bobby said but Roman could barely even nod.  
  


Bobby buckled the boy's seat belt and closed the door. Roman's head fell to the side and he finally gave in to the soothing call of the sedative.  
  


\----  
  


"About time you woke up," Bobby said as Roman's eyes open, squinting as soon as the bright sunlight shone directly in his face.  
  


"How long was I out?" He asked, running his hands through his hair.  
  


"Eh, about 8-ish hours, I'd say," Bobby answered, going back to the book he was reading.  
  


Roman looked around as the events of last night flooded back.  
  


"Shit. Virgil..." Roman got up but immediately sat back down when a thick wave of nausea hit him.  
  


"I know. I've been up this whole time trying to figure things out. But I'm really grasping at straws here," Bobby sighed "Roman, you're still fighting that drug. We need to take this one step at a time-"  
  


"So you're saying you want me to just sit here and rest while Virgil is who knows where and in who knows what kind of danger?!" Roman interpreted  
  


"No, you idjit. If you'd just let me speak. Why don't we pack up and go talk to someone who might be able to help us?"  
  


Roman bit his lip "Alright...but let's go now."  
  


Bobby nodded "Grab those books off the table, I'll go start the car."  
  


Roman watched Bobby walk out the door and let out a shaky breath. He half expected to see Virgil standing in the kitchen, sneaking whatever junk food Bobby had laying around.   
  


He gathered the pile of books from the cluttered table and just stood there for a moment. A memory pulled at his brain, begging for him to relive it.  
  


Roman squeezed his eyes closed as the flashback surfaced.  
  


_"Is the food almost done?" Virgil yelled from his spot next to Roman. The boys were crammed on Bobby's small two person couch. The smell of savory food floated through the living room while the sound of a football game echoed from the old T.V._   
  


_"Almost boys!" Bobby yelled back, the clinking of cookware following shortly after._   
  


_It was Virgil's 11th birthday and he had begged John to let them spend it with Bobby. With a little push from Roman, their father had finally agreed._   
  


_So here they were, waiting for Bobby to finish cooking Virgil's surprise dinner. Roman hadn't seen his baby brother this happy in a while._   
  


_Usually, birthdays were celebrated in some dingy motel room with a cheap store-bought cake and a small appearance from Dad. Roman shuttered as he remembered his last birthday._   
  


_John had found out him and Virgil went out to a local arcade, mainly with money they had saved away, and he flipped out._   
  


_Though it was a present from Virgil (and fully the younger boy's idea), Roman took full responsibly, causing him to lose the incredibly small gifts he had gotten earlier that day._   
  


_At that moment, Roman had decided to make sure Virgil's next birthday was better than his. The kid deserved it._   
  


_So when Virgil asked to spend it at Uncle Bobby's, Roman made sure that's what would happen._   
  


_And here they were, yelling at the T.V whenever one of the players made a dumb move or scored a point._   
  


_"Boys! Food!" Bobby called, and both brothers jumped to their feet and raced to the kitchen._   
  


_The table was set with Bobby's best dishes and was filled with hot food._   
  


_"Steak?!" Virgil exclaimed, flopping into his seat._   
  


_Bobby grinned "Yup. Ro requested it."_   
  


_Virgil smiled at Roman and he smiled back._   
  


_"What are you boys waiting for? Dig in!"_   
  


_With that, both boys pilled their plates with steak, mashed potatoes, and rolls._   
  


_They all ate while talking about anything they wanted. Sports, Bobby's past hunts, what they wanted to do in the future, and whatever else came up._   
  


_They cleared the table, stomachs full of food and hearts full of pure happiness._   
  


_"Thanks for making this my best birthday ever," Virgil said, pulling Roman and Bobby into a hug. The kid might only be 11, but he was getting taller every day._   
  


_"You're welcome Virgie," Roman said, tousling his brother's hair._   
  


_Virgil laughed and turned to walk back to the living room._   
  


_"Where do you think you're going?" Bobby asked, causing Virgil to turn around._   
  


_"Back to the T.V...?"_   
  


_"Not yet, we still have a whole cake to eat."_   
  


_Virgil looked at Roman with wide eyes "Cake?"_   
  


_"Dude, it's your birthday! Of course, there's cake!" Roman answered, sitting back down._   
  


_Bobby brought the cake out, lit the candles, and he and Roman sang Happy Birthday._   
  


_They finished the cake and before Virgil would try to leave again, Bobby placed a box on the table._   
  


_"What's that?" Virgil asked, cutting himself another slice of cake._   
  


_Bobby pushed it closer to Virgil, "A present, open it." He said._   
  


_Virgil tore open the box and his grin grew even bigger._   
  


_It was filled with law books, some books on lore, and a framed picture of Bobby and the boys._   
  


_"Oh...I love it! Thank you so much, Uncle Bobby!" Virgil said, running to hug the older man again._   
  


_"You're welcome V! I remember you telling me how you wanted to learn more about the law...and I just so happened to find those laying around." He said, winking at Roman._   
  


_That meant he had bought the books just for Virgil._   
  


_Virgil took the box and raced to the living room, leaving Roman and Bobby behind._   
  


_"Thank you, Bobby. For everything." Roman said, helping to finish clearing the table._   
  


_"You don't need to thank me, Roman. Making you boys happy is thanks enough."_   
  


_Roman smiled and before he left the kitchen, Bobby gently gripped his shoulders._   
  


_"Listen, I want you to know...your father means well. And he's trying his best. But if you two ever need anything, or want to escape him, call me up. My house is always open. No matter when."_   
  


_Roman nodded "I know..."_   
  


_Bobby patted his back and quickly grabbed a bag from the closest, "One last thing, I heard about what happened on your last birthday... I thought I'd make it up to you."_   
  


_"Oh Bobby, you really don't have to-"_   
  


_Bobby shook his head and handed the bag to Roman._   
  


_"Nonsense, you idjit. No open it and go make sure your brother doesn't break anything." With that, Bobby winked at him and left the kitchen._   
  


_Roman opened the bag and pulled out a slightly tattered leather coat._   
  


_"No, he didn't," Roman muttered, slipping it on._   
  


_It was Bobby's old jacket._   
  


_Whoa._   
  


_"Roman!! They're about to start the horror movie marathon!" Virgil yelled from the living room._   
  


_"Coming!" Roman yelled back, slipping the jacket onto one of the kitchen chairs._   
  


_This is a night he will remember forever._   
  


"Roman!" Bobby yelled, bringing Roman back to the present.  
  


"Uh yeah, I was just on my way out," Roman answered, holding the books tighter.  
  


"I was getting worried, thought you got lost or something," Bobby said, walking back to the front door.  
  


"Only lost in my head," Roman muttered before following after Bobby.  
  


They would find Virgil.  
  


And when they did, Roman was gonna remind them of that birthday years ago and they were gonna recreate it.  
  


That thought kept Roman going as he climbed into the Impala since he insisted that's what they should drive.  
  


They had to find Virgil. Without him, Roman would lose it.  
  


That was certain. 


	17. The Weird-O-Meter Says This is Too Crazy to Measure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 6

_"Who is he?"_   
  


_"I have no idea."_   
  


_"How did he get here?"_   
  


_"I don't know."_   
  


_"What-"_   
  


_"If you ask another question, I swear I'm gonna lose it."_   
  


Virgil's eyes flew open and he quickly stumbled to his feet. A handful of people stood around him, no older he was.  
  


"Hey buddy, calm down-" One boy started, before Virgil cut him off.  
  


"Where am I? Who are you?" He demanded.  
  


Silence.  
  


Virgil looked from person to person before his eyes landed on a small girl towards the front.  
  


She looked too familiar.  
  


Virgil racked his brain, trying to remember what happened before he woke up here. He recalled driving to the gas station with Roman, then going inside to pay...  
  


After that, everything goes blank.  
  


"We don't know where we are...and we all know a bit about each other," The boy from before answered.  
  


Virgil's eyebrow furrowed in confusion "So no one knows what going on?"  
  


Everyone shrugged.  
  


"We just know we're stuck here. There's no cell phone signal or cars." The small girl said.  
  


Virgil studied her again "By any chance, is your name Holly?"  
  


The girl took a step closer to one of the boys as she nodded slowly.  
  


"How do you know that?"  
  


"Your mom has been looking for you."  
  


Holly looked at him, her eyes wide "But I've only been gone a couple hours..."  
  


Virgil bit his lip "No...you've been gone for almost two weeks."  
  


Holly shook her head "N-no way...how?..."  
  


The boy put his hand on her shoulder "Why don't you go get a drink and calm down? I'll talk to him."  
  


Holly hesitated before another girl gently took her hand and led her and the others away. Virgil was left alone with the boy, who he figured was sort of the leader.  
  


"Who are you?" The boy asked, eyeing Virgil up and down.  
  


"Virgil. Virgil Winchester."  
  


"Josh. Josh Harris."  
  


Virgil sighed "This is gonna sound really weird, and you're gonna think I'm crazy but-"  
  


Josh shook his head "Stop. We already know what's going on, we just haven't told Holly."  
  


"Really? What's going on then?"  
  


Josh took a few steps closer, and even though Virgil was taller, he fought the urge to step back.  
  


"This is a secret training site. Must be a top-secret military operation." He whispered, almost smirking "If we can survive here, they might put us on the front line!"  
  


Virgil stared at the boy and sighed "I hate to break it to you...but that's probably not the case."  
  


Josh rolled his eyes, "Sure. Whatever. But you listen here  _kid_ , I'm in charge here. I call the shots. So don't test me." He growled, gripping Virgil's shirt collar and shoving him back.  
  


Virgil stumbled slightly and glared at Josh, who was grinning.  
  


"Now that that's settled, let's go check on the others!" He said, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he jogged in the direction the others had gone in.  
  


Virgil lumbered after him.  
  


This was going to be  _such_ a great time.  
  


\----  
  


"I'm not here to make friends," Josh said once he had everyone's attention. Virgil had followed him into one of the rundown houses that were everywhere. At least this one still had most of its roof.  
  


The others looked at Virgil and he shrugged. He had no idea what this boy was gonna say or do, and it was terrifying.   
  


"Since I was here first, I think it's only right to put me in charge," Josh continued. When no one objected, he smiled.  
  


"As we're all aware, this is a military project. They should be making contact with us soon to clarify our orders-"  
  


"No. This isn't some 'military project' to train new soldiers. There is some supernatural shit going on here and we need to try and survive it." Virgil interpreted. This was getting out of hand. If he didn't try and do something, someone could get hurt.  
  


Josh starred daggers at him "Something supernatural? Sorry buddy, this is real life."  
  


Virgil sighed. Time for the classic 'there's scary things in the dark and my family hunts them down and kills them' talk.  
  


Which Virgil always  _loved_.  
  


"Well, this 'real life' is more sinister than you think. Ghosts, vampires, demons, the whole lot. It's all real. My family, among others, hunt them down and keep people safe. Whatever brought us here wants something. And I doubt it's anything good."  
  


When Virgil finished, the sound of slow, mocking clapping followed.  
  


"Thank you. It's great to know we have a grade A nutcase with us here," Josh said "Anyway-"  
  


"No, he's not crazy." One girl said, pushing her way through the crowd "Really, has no one else noticed?"  
  


Virgil ignored Josh and faced the girl "Noticed what?"  
  


"The elephant in the room. That fact that we're all totally different people with only two things in common?"  
  


"Which are?"  
  


"We're all very close in age and we all have...odd abilities." The girl said, blushing slightly at the statement.  
  


"Alright, two nutcases. Anyone else want to join them?" Josh said.  
  


This time, everyone ignored him.  
  


"She's right. Just before I appeared here, I was petting my cat and some weird electricity shot out of my hand and fried her." One guy said  
  
  
"The Weird-O-Meter says this is too crazy to measure," Virgil muttered to himself.  
  


"What?" Holly whispered to him.

  
"Nothing, it's just something my brother and I say sometimes...."

  
She shrugged and everyone began to share their weird experiences but this brought Virgil no comfort.  
  


Everyone began to share their weird experiences but this brought Virgil no comfort.  
  


What freaky power did he have?  
  


Could he hurt someone?  
  


Would Roman hunt him like a monster?  
  


These thoughts danced around his head, causing his heart to race.  
  


"Are you alright?" Holly asked him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  


"Yeah, fine. Just need some air." He muttered, pushing past everyone. He stood outside the shack and slowly tried to regain his composure.  
  


His eyes closed as he focused on counting numbers out of order. It was a trick Bobby showed him when he was younger, just when his anxiety was in its worst.  
  


Small footsteps caused him to open his eyes. He saw a girl running towards the trees that surrounded the camp.  
  


As she quickly disappeared in the thick brush, Virgil felt his heart drop once again.  
  


Whatever brought them here didn't want them to leave.  
  


The girl was in danger.  
  


Somewhat reluctantly, Virgil raced after her, hoping the rest of the kids had enough sense to stay put.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some major writer's block towards the end of this chapter, so my apologies if it's below average. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Have a wonderful day! :)


	18. A Drunk Dude and A Bitch Ass Demon. Nice Combination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 7

"What kind of place are we looking for exactly?" Roman asked, breaking the four hour long silence.  
  


"A dingy, run-down bar on the side of the road," Bobby replied.  
  


"Why the fuck-"  
  


"Language."  
  


"Excuse me, why the hell would we want to stop at a place like that?"  
  


Bobby sighed "Boy, do you want a master's help or not?"  
  


"Fine. But only because Virgil is in danger. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing this." Roman said, shaking his head.  
  


Bobby was one of the best hunter's and researchers, there was no way this guy was better.  
  


\----  
  


The so-called "master" turned out to be a drunk man in his late 20s who had ridiculously long hair on the back of his head, yet had it cut incredibly short in the front.  
  


Basically, he looked like an idiot.  
  


Roman watched as Bobby talked to the man and as the conversation quickly bored him, he started to wonder.  
  


He ended up at the bar, waiting for someone to serve him.  
  


Turned out the bartender was a blonde girl around Roman's age, who was definitely too gorgeous to be in a place like this.  
  


"What can I get you?" She asked  
  


"Just a beer, please." Roman said.  
  


The girl nodded and placed a cold beer in front of him.  
  


"Anything else?" She asked.  
  


Roman shook his head "No, thank you."  
  


She nodded and disappeared into the kitchen behind the bar counter.  
  


Roman took a long sip from the bottle and sighed. He should probably go listen to what Bobby and this guy were talking about. It could be important.  
  


He begrudgingly got up and walked over to where Bobby was sitting.  
  


"Nice of you to join us," Bobby teased "This is Ash. Top researcher and an expert on demons."  
  


Ash smiled "Nice to finally meet one of the infamous Winchesters. Your dad is kind of a legend among us hunters."  
  


Roman glanced at Bobby, confused. Dad had always said there were barely any other hunters.  
  


Roman cleared his throat "Uh, yeah. It nice to be surrounded by others who are as familiar with tragedy as us."  
  


Ash shrugged "Comes with the job, I guess. Well Bobby here was telling me your younger brother went missing last night?"  
  


Roman looked down at his beer and nodded.  
  


"Do you know if he had his cell phone on him?"  
  


Roman looked up "I'm not sure, but he never let's it out of his sight."  
  


Ash nodded "Alright. That's a good place for me to start. I'll start tracking the GPS and see what that gets me." He got up and gave them a thumbs up.  
  


"He's a bit cheery, isn't he?" Roman said.  
  


"He's a little bit drunk, as we all are." Bobby answered.  
  


"Amen to that," Roman muttered as they both took a swig of beer.  
  


"Holy hell, look what the wendigo dragged in! Bobby Singer himself!"  
  


"Hello to you too, Ellen." Bobby said with a slight smile.  
  


Roman turned around and saw a woman, probably  in her early 40s, holding a towel and smirking at him and Bobby.  
  


"This must be be one of John's boys!" She said, "I'm Ellen, owner of the Roadhouse."  
  


"You knew my dad?" Roman asked. Why wasn't he told about any of these people?  
  


"Honey, we all know your dad." She replied "How did you get Bobby here out of his house?"  
  


Roman cleared his throat "We're on a hunt."  
  


"Are you surprised i'm still out and about, El?" Bobby said  
  


"In all honesty, yes. Thought you were strictly research now."   
  


Both Ellen and Bobby chuckled before she sat down next to Roman.  
  


"What exactly are you boy's hunting?" She asked, lowering her voice.  
  


"My brother. We think he was taken by some demons." Roman added.  
  


"A demonic kidnapping? Don't think I've ever heard of that before. Did you talk to Ash?"  
  


Roman nodded "Yup. He's tracking Virgil's cell phone right now."  
  


"Mom! The fridge is doing that weird thing again!" The bartender yelled from behind the counter.  
  


"Give me a second, boys." Ellen said as she raced into the kitchen.  
  


"Wait, that's her daughter?" Roman asked.  
  


Bobby nodded "Yup. A word of warning, don't mess with Jo. Ellen will turn full mama bear mode on. And it won't be pretty."  
  


"Got it. Plus you know...she's not really my type." Roman said, shrugging.  
  


"True, my mistake," Bobby said.  
  


Ash suddenly came running towards then and sat down right next to Roman "Alright, here's what i got. Virgil's phone is in Colorado. But get this! I check the surrounding area, and there's nothing there! It's a ghost town."  
  


"A ghost town? Why would demons take him there?" Roman asked  
  


Ash shrugged "No clue. I'm gonna keep looking."  
  


"Thanks, Ash." Bobby yelled to him as the man ran back to his computer.  
  


"I guess we're going to Colorado." Bobby muttered  
  


Roman sighed "Yup..."  
  


They left some money on their table for Ellen and headed back to the Impala.  
  


Time to go gank some bitch ass demon and get Virgil back.  
  


\---  
  


Branches scratched at Virgil's skin as he ran after the girl. She was clearly panicking, but weren't they all?  
  


As he raced after her, he wished he was back at Bobby's with a beer in hand and Roman by his side. He had never had to do a hunt alone and this was really not the ideal situation.  
  


His footsteps slammed into the ground and she suddenly stopped running.   
  


"I know someone is there! Leave me alone!" She screamed, wrapping her arms around herself.   
  


"It's okay, just relax. Please," Virgil said "I know this is terrifying but we really should get back to camp-"  
  


"And why should I listen to you?" She snapped, taking a few steps back "Everyone here is just a nutcase! I need to get home!"  
  


"I know you're scared but if we stay out here much longer, we could die." Virgil insisted, feeling his jacket and embracing the wave of relief that washed over him when he felt his gun.  
  


At least he had a way to defend them if anything decided to show up.  
  


"Sorry dude, but no thanks." The girl said, quickly running out of Virgil's sight.  
  


"Fuck!" He muttered, pressing his lips together in annoyance. He took a few steps in the direction she had run in and immediately froze.  
  


It was too quiet.   
  


Birds and insects seemed to hold their breaths. Virgil swallowed the lump in his throat.  
  


Things just went sour, fast.   
  


"Hey!" He called out, hoping the girl would answer.   
  


Abruptly, the bloodcurdling shriek of the girl rang throughout the woods, bouncing off of the trees.     
  


Virgil was stuck in place. He couldn't even feel his legs.  
  


_I could have saved her._   
  


_I could have tried harder._   
  


_I should have tried harder._   
  


_"Ah Virgil, our favorite little hero!"_   
  


Virgil snapped out of his thoughts and felt red hot anger bubble inside.   
  


Standing directly in front of him was the creature with yellow eyes.    
  


The one who had caused the fire that killed Justin.    
  


"So far, you're at the top of the list! Well done!"   
  


Virgil bit his lip and tasted the bitter iron of blood.   
  


"What list?" He growled "What are you doing to us?"  
  


The creature laughed and it made Virgil's flesh crawl.   
  


"Oh you really are a curious one! Well, you see, you and your  _friends_ were brought here for a special reason! One of you has been destined to be leader! So far, i'm on Team Virgil."   
  


"Leader? Of what?" He demanded.  
  


"All in good time. If you can make it to the end of this test, you might just find out!"  
  


In the blink of an eye, Virgil pulled out his gun and shot the creature right in the chest.  
  


Yellow-eyes looked at him with disappointment "Really? That's all you got? After your pretty little boyfriend and your sweet mother died for you? Pathetic."  
  


The whole world stopped around Virgil at the mention of his mother. Dad had always been hunting down the thing that killed mom....and it was right here?  
  


He had come face to face with it  _twice_?  
  


"Shocking huh? It has to be nice to know that a  _demon_ has been a part of your life for a while, lil Virgie. Now you better get back to killing the others. I'm counting on you!"  
  


Blinded by rage, Virgil charged the creature, only to almost run smack into a tree.  
  


"You son of a bitch!" He howled, his voice shaking.   
  


This demon has been toying with his life since he was a baby. It's the whole reason his dad started hunting in the first place.   
  


He was going to make it pay.   
  


If it's the last thing he ever does. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took forever! Writing it was hell and my computer broke so thats not great.
> 
> But i'm back! And now that it's summer, i'll be writing a lot more!
> 
> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	19. Death is Really at Every Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 8

"What happened to you? And where's Gwen?" Holly asked when Virgil stumbled back into camp. His teeth dug into his lip, surely leaving marks.  
  


When he didn't answer, she began to talk louder.  
  
  
"Where is Gwen? What did you do to her?!"  
  


Josh ran out of the main building, followed by the rest of the group.  
  


"Great, just when we thought we lost the  _freak_ ," Josh spat while most of the others did nothing.  
  


Looks like they all decided to follow him.   
  


Virgil couldn't let anyone else die.  
  


He  _wouldn't_ let anyone else die.   
  


Virgil turned towards Josh, catching his eyes.   
  


"Listen, something bad is here. If you don't listen to me, you're all going to die."  
  


Holly gasped and grabbed Virgil's arm.  
  


"You killed her?"  
  


"No! I was trying to save her! The demon that brought us here killed her!"  
  


Josh laughed "Demon? You're a killer and you're blaming someone's death on a demon? Wonderful!"  
  


And Virgil lost it.  
  


He grabbed Josh up by the collar and gave him a quick shake "I am not watching anyone else die," He released him, watching as he stumbled backward "Whoever wants to live, come with me. If you have a death wish, stay with Josh. Because he doesn't seem to care."  
  


Half of the kids looked from Virgil to Josh and most moved right behind the taller boy.  
  


The ones that stood by Josh had faces full of fear.   
  


Virgil watched as Holly frantically looked back and forth, struggling to decide who was trustworthy. In the end, she sided with him.  
  


"If we want to make it out alive, I need everyone to follow my advice." He said. When everyone nodded, Virgil took a deep breath   
  


"Alright, to start, we're gonna need a lot of salt."  
  


\----  
  


"Hey, you good?" Bobby asked, looking over at Roman.  They had just passed the 'Welcome to Colorado' state sign and the boy was distracted.  
  


"Yeah....I'm just worried about Virgil."  
  


"He's a tough cookie Ro, he'll be fine."  
  


"I know, but with all, that happened with Justin..." Roman's voice trailed off "I just should have paid more attention. If I did, we wouldn't be here right now and he would be safe-"  
  


"Roman. None of this was your fault. Now we're gonna find Virgil, kill the demons that took him and be home for dinner. Got it?" Bobby said.  
  


Roman nodded "Thank you, Bobby. I would have lost my mind a while ago if it wasn't for you."  
  


The older man smiled "I know."  
  


\----  
  


"All the windows and doors are salted and everyone is inside. Except for Josh and his group." One small blonde boy told Virgil.  
  


"Ok, now this place is the safest part of this whole ghost town," Virgil said, looking around.  
  


Everyone was looking up at him with wide eyes and shaky hands. At that moment, something dawned on him.  
  


These kids were giving him the same look he gives Roman. Scared yet trusting. Terrified but hopeful.   
  


How did Roman deal with it? Deep down, Virgil was just as scared as they were but for some reason, none of it showed on his face.  
  


"Wait a second...has anyone seen Holly?" One girl stammered.   
  


Virgil scanned the crowd of people, trying to single out the Holly. Her wild brown curly hair was not where to be seen.  
  


"Okay, no need to panic. She has to be here. We would have seen her run out.  We just need to look around."  
  


The other kids nodded and began to disperse.  
  


As the room emptied, Virgil couldn't stop wringing his hands.   
  


_Fuck._   
  


_How did another person manage to sneak away from me?_   
  


_If she ends up dead, her blood will be on my hands._   
  


There was a chance she got outside the house and Virgil knew he was the one who had to check.  
  


No one else would be able to handle the demon if it came after them.  
  


He gripped the doorknob tightly and began to pull it open.  
  


In a flash, the door swung out of his grip and slammed shut.  
  


He jumped back and felt something sharp poke him right between his shoulders.  
  


"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one." Holly mocked, twisted the knife.  
  


"What are you doing?"   
  


"Taking my spot as leader. Yellow eyes talked to me too, said I was his favorite. He said he was rooting for me!" She laughed "All I had to do was kill a couple of you clueless morons and he would make me invincible."  
  


She pushed the knife a little bit deep, just enough to almost draw blood.  
  


"Once I kill you, they'll be no more competition!"  
  


While Holly was monologuing, Virgil had slowly pulled out the knife he always carried with him. He had to be fast, or she would end him.  
  


He had one shot at this.  
  


He saw his opportunity when she began telling him her life story, as if anyone cared. He spun, pushed her wrist away, making her yell.  
  


He slapped the knife out of her hand and jolted her against the wall, holding his knife firmly against her neck.  
  


"Please don't kill me! You're better than this!" She said, her eyes filling with tears.  
  


"As soon as the tables turn, you beg for mercy? That's borderline pathetic." Virgil fumed "As long as the demon knows he has power over you, he will continue to use you."  
  


The girl continued to cry "Please!" She hiccupped, making Virgil second guess himself. He backed away from her, knife still in hand.   
  


At that moment, Holly tried to attack him again.  
  


Her mistake.  
  


As Virgil pointed the knife right as her gut, she sliced a thick cut into his arm.  
  


He squeezed his eyes closed in pain and watched his knife slide deep into her stomach.  
  


Her body hit the floor and he looked down at his feet as he felt the tears begin.  
  


What was he doing? This wasn't him.  
  


She  _did_ try to kill him, he retaliated in self-defense.   
  


_Death is really at every turn for him._   
  


That thought was too depressing and Virgil couldn't walk out of that room fast enough. He walked right out the front door, careful not to break the salt line.  
  


The town had gone dark as the sun disappeared. Everything was quiet.  
  


Too quiet.  
  


"Great, more chaos. Just what I need right now." He muttered, holding his bleeding arm.   
  


A roaring engine caused Virgil's fears to heighten.  
  


Who found a car?  
  


The car skid to a stop, headlights bright in Virgil's eyes, and both front doors swung open.  
  


"Virgil!" Roman yelled, racing towards his brother.  
  


"Roman!" Virgil screamed, sprinting as fast as he could, the pain in his arm knocking the wind out of him a couple of times.   
  


"Virgil!" Roman's face changed from relieved to horrified.   
  


Virgil looked back at him with confusion.   
  


Then it hit him.  
  


An overwhelming pain shot through his whole body. The noise he made could not have been human.   
  


His legs crumbled to dust and his senses began to fade out.  
  


Roman caught his brother is his arms just before he fell.   
  


He had just watched some kid stab Virgil and run.   
  


"R-ro...." Virgil muttered, his chest trembling with shakey breathes.  
  


"It's ok, I'm here," Roman said, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
  


"I tried....but i couldn't have them." Virgil looked up at his brother.  
  


Roman shook his head "You did amazing, V. I was just too late."  
  


Virgil groaned in pain, his face tense.   
  


Roman placed his hand over his brother's wound, trying to hold him together.  
  


"Not today....I can't lose you," He said, holding him tighter.   
  


"...Roman..." Virgil shuddered, his eyes unfocused.  
  


Roman stared down at his brother, his warm blood felt like acid.  
  


 "Love you, Ro," Virgil muttered, his chest rising and falling way to slowly to be okay.  
  


"Love you too, Virgie," Roman muttered back, but it was too late.  
  


Virgil was gone.  
  


Roman held his brother's lifeless body closer, hand still over his stab wound.  
  


No words can describe the feeling Roman felt in this moment. All the sorrow imaginable would still be too weak.   
  


The only thing he still cared about, his baby brother, was dead.  
  


And it was all his fault.  
  


He was too late.  
  


And Virgil's blood would forever stain his skin.   
  



	20. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Two❃Chapter 9

Bobby had watched the whole thing, standing by helplessly.  
  


The kid stabbed Virgil in one swift swing and once the deed was done, he ran off.  
  


Coward.  
  


As much as Bobby wanted to stay and hold the boy, his body had a different idea. His legs began to move, carrying him away from the two people he cared about most in this world.   
  


He never thought he'd be able to run like this again, considering his age, but the red hot anger and numbing sadness fueled him in a way Bobby never thought possible.   
  


"You think you can catch me, old man?" The kid called out, smirking.  
  


"You son of a bitch, you'll burn for what you did," Bobby yelled.  
  


He continued the chase the boy for another minute before his body began to scream. He slowed and watched the kid disappear into the thick trees.  
  


There was no point trying to find him now. Bobby shook his head and started running back to his boys, tears dripping down his face.  
  


\---  
  


"Roman,"  
  


Roman hauled Virgil's lifeless body into the back of the car.  
  


"Roman."  
  


The boy said nothing as he closed the back car door.  
  


"Come here," Bobby insisted, holding his arms open. Roman eyed him, lip trembling. He abruptly flung himself into Bobby's embrace.    
  


Crying wasn't liked by either of them but it was the only thing was could relive a bit of the pain.  
  


"Bobby," Roman sobbed "This is just a nightmare, right? Please tell me this isn't real."  
  


The older man looked at him, shaking his head "I'm sorry..."  
  


Roman squeezed his arms tighter around Bobby's middle and dug his nails into his shoulder blade.   
  


They stood there in each other's arms for what felt like an eternity before Roman broke away and climbed into the driver's seat.  
  


He slammed the door and roughly turned the key in the ignition.   
  


Bobby watched him sorrowfully before getting into the passenger seat and softly closing the door.   
  


As the began to drive away, Bobby looked over at Roman. who was avoiding the rearview mirror with all his might.  
  


Anyone who didn't know Roman might mistake his face for angry, which, in truth, he was angry. But as tear silently fell down his face, it was clear what he was feeling.  
  


He had lost something no one could ever replace.  
  


But, he's a Winchester. And a Winchester always beats the odds.   
  
  


__**{A/N: I'm including some pictures of the face I'm trying to put to words because Jensen is too talented and I feel like I'm not doing it justice}}  
**   


__****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this chapter is so short! I thought it was a fitting end to Episode Two!


	21. Am I Sad? Yes. Am I Gonna Do Something Dumb? Yup.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode Three☆Chapter 1

_A lone cabin stood surrounded by tall trees, the roof covered in snow. It was cozy looking, the perfect place to visit during the winter, during one of the biggest snowfalls of the year._   
  


_There would most likely be a roaring fire, twinkling lights and the sound of family stories being told. But this year, a different type of family was spending Christmas there._   
  


_A small boy sat alone on the tattered sofa, watching as the fireplace burned slowly. Next to the window was a small evergreen tree with a single strand of lights draped across it._   
  


_The front door opened, letting a frigid breeze blew through the room. The boy smiled but it quickly faded when he realized the person he was hoping to see wasn't there._   
  


_"Roman, where's dad?" He asked the older boy who was bolting the door closed._   
  


_"He'll be here soon, Virgie," Roman told his younger brother. He watched as Virgil's face lit up once again._   
  


_"Remember the cookie dough we put in the fridge, I was thinking we could make some cookies together!" Virgil said._   
  


_Roman smiled "Sure, go get everything set up."_   
  


_Virgil grinned and bolted into the kitchen. Roman watched him disappear and his face fell. He knew their dad was out on a hunt and wouldn't be back until well after Christmas day. He didn't have the heart to tell Virgil._   
  


_As Roman went around checking the salt that lined the windows and doors, he silently cursed their dad._   
  


_Would it really have hurt him to spend one lousy holiday with them? Or was hunting really that more important?_   
  


_Finding all the salt was intact, Roman's gaze fell onto the frail Christmas tree. As usual, there was nothing underneath. Presents weren't really in the Winchester's budget._   
  


_Luckily, Roman had snagged a couple of small things for Virgil and hid them under his bed. His kid brother would have gifts to open this year, even if they were small._   
  


_"How's it going in here?" Roman asked as he walked into the kitchen. The sound of Christmas playing filled the room._   
  


_He looked at Virgil in confusion "Where is the music coming from?"_   
  


_Virgil grinned "Uncle Bobby gave me an old CD player and some CD's!"_   
  


_Roman let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Virgil had already started stealing things._   
  


_"Damn, Uncle Bobby really pulled through with your gift this year, huh?" Roman smirked_   
  


_"Yeah, he did. He said if he had time, he'd swing by tonight! How awesome would that be?"_   
  


_"That would be awesome! Now let's finish these cookies." Roman grinned._   
  


_\----_   
  


_Night had fallen upon the cabin, Virgil's excitement making it hard to sleep.  It was Christmas and he was finally going to be able to give his dad a gift._   
  


_Uncle Bobby had helped him find it and wrap it._   
  


_As he laid in bed, he heard a noise come from the living room._   
  


_"Dad!" He muttered. He quickly grabbed the gift from under his bed and quietly made his way down the hallway._   
  


_A tall figure was kneeling down near the Christmas tree._   
  


_"Merry Christmas dad!" Virgil said, grinning ear to ear._   
  


_His face fell when the figure turned around._   
  


_"Roman?" He muttered_   
  


_"Yeah..."_   
  


_"But dad said-"_   
  


_"I know. But-" Roman stopped when Virgil started to cry._   
  


_Roman pulled his brother into a hug, holding him tightly._   
  


_"He really can never make time for us, can he? Is hunting fucking monsters more important?" Virgil snapped, holding onto his brother's arm._   
  


_"I hope he never shows up. I don't want to see him. I wish uncle Bobby was our dad!" Virgil raged._   
  


_Roman sat his brother down on the couch and quickly made him a cup of cocoa with a cookie they had baked earlier._   
  


_He handed him the warm cup and sat on the floor in front of him._   
  


_"I know you're pissed...dad really wanted to be here. Why don't we just open the presents now? Will that make you feel a bit better?" Roman asked._   
  


_Virgil was quiet for a moment before he sighed "Yeah...i guess."_   
  


_Roman smiled "Great. You can start." He said, handing Virgil a small package wrapped in brown paper._   
  


_"Sorry about the presentation...wrapping paper is a waste of money."_   
  


_"It's perfect, Roman," Virgil said, putting the mug of cocoa between his legs. He took the gift from Roman's hands and slowly began to open it._   
  


_"A...doll?" Virgil looked up at Roman, who was trying not to laugh._   
  


_"I nicked it from the toy bin at the store, thought you'd like it."_   
  


_"Not funny Roman!"_   
  


_Roman laughed "It's a little bit funny."_   
  


_Virgil tossed the doll away and reluctantly took the next gift._   
  


_He ripped open the box and inside it sat a small silver knife. He stared at his reflection in the metal then looked at his brother._   
  


_"This is for me?" He asked, shocked._   
  


_"Hell yeah, 'bout time you had your own knife," Roman answered_   
  


_"Thanks, Ro! This is a thousand times better than that doll." Virgil said as both boys laughed._   
  


_"Guess it's my turn, here." Virgil handed Roman the small wrapped box he had sitting next to him this whole time._   
  


_"I thought this was for dad?" Roman said._   
  


_"It is, was. It was. But I want you to have it." Virgil muttered._   
  


_Roman nodded as he tore into the box. Inside sat a small amulet._   
  


_"Virgil...I love it," He muttered, slipping it around his neck._   
  


_"It suits you more than it would have dad. Bobby said it's supposed to be good luck too." Virgil added, grinning._   
  


_Roman pulled his brother into a hug "It's the best gift ever, I'll never take it off, thank you, Virgie."_   
  


_"You're welcome Ro," Virgil said as he hugged his brother tightly._   
  


_"Now let's get you back to bed, it's late," Roman said with a smile._   
  


_Virgil nodded and Roman followed him back to the bedroom, both boys laughing about what great holiday their dad had missed out on._   
  


\-----  
  


Reality came rushing back, the stale smell of the old cabin filled Roman's nose. He looked around the dusty master bedroom, holding his amulet tightly in his hand, squeezing it.  
  


Virgil's lifeless body laid on the bed in front of him, a constant reminder.  
  


He failed.  
  


He couldn't protect his little brother.   
  


Squeezing the amulet even tighter for reassurance, Roman heard the door creak open.   
  


Bobby stood in the doorway of the bedroom.  
  


"Roman..." he whispered, seeing the state of the boy. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his clothes were wrinkled, and his face was in a permanent scowl.   
  


He walked back down the hallway, with Roman close behind him.  
  


"What are you doing here?" Roman snapped.  
  


"I came to check on you, and I'm glad I did," Bobby said, his eyes scanning over to the small dining table. It was littered with old demonology books and John Winchester's journal.   
  


"What are you doing with all that?" He asked, a bad feeling settling in his gut.  
  


"None of your business," Roman muttered.  
  


There was a moment of silence as they both avoided the impending subject.  
  


"Roman...we need to give him a proper funeral-" Bobby began before getting interrupted.  
  


"No! I'm so close to finding out how to get him back," Roman insisted, realizing his mistake "I-I mean..."    
 

"So that's what you're doing? You're trying to bring him back? Roman, I know what your feeling, but you can go around being the dead back to life!"  
  


"Really? Why not? Losing him was my fault, I can't live the rest of my life knowing I was the reason he died! Wouldn't you have done anything to get Karen back?"  
  


Once those words slipped out, Roman knew he overstepped his boundaries.    
  


Bobby had lost his wife when a demon-possessed her and tried to kill him. At the time, he wasn't a hunter and did the only thing he could think of.  
  


He stabbed her.  
  


Bobby clenched his jaw "What are you planning on doing then, huh? There's no solid way to bring a soul back to the body. Don't you think I tried?"   
  


"I found-"  
  


"Roman, this is something I can't let you do. I can't lose you both."  
  


Silence filled the room once more and Roman looked back over towards the bedroom.  
  


"Okay...I won't try anything, Bobby. Just let me have one more day to say goodbye."  
  


Bobby studied the boy closely. People deal with grief differently, but Roman had always been a great liar. Leaving him alone could tempt him to do something stupid, but he didn't want to deny him a couple of last hours with his brother.   
  


"Fine. But when I come back, you better be fully intact and he...."  
  


Roman nodded "We'll both be here."  
  


Bobby gave him a quick, firm hug before heading outside and going to collect the supplies they would need for a proper hunter's funeral.   
  


Roman listened as Bobby's truck pulled out of the driveway.  
  


"I'm sorry Bobby," He whispered, "But I can't live without Virgil."  
  


He went to the table and grabbed the small shoebox that was there. It was filled with graveyard dirt, one of Roman's fake ID's, and a bone of a black cat.  
  


Roman took one last look at Virgil's body before getting into the Impala.  
  


He was going to get his brother back, no matter what cost.  
  


He was going to make a deal.  
  


He was going to summon a demon.  
  
  
  
  
  
\-----

**(yes,** **th** **ose are the real summoning items from the show)**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It means the world to me!
> 
> ~Madison


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